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The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution announces with deep sorrow the death September 2, of former Life Trustee and Honorary Member, Breene M. Kerr. Breene and his wife Sheri became WHOI Associates in Breene served as a Trustee from to , was elected an Honorary Trustee (now known as Life Trustee) in , and also served as a Member of the Corporation from to before election as an Honorary Member. Breene served on the Finance Committee from to , and was a member of the Ocean and Climate Change Committee from to , serving as its chair from to Breene had also been a participant in the WHOI Science Partnership Program.
Breene Mitchell Kerr was born January 27, in Ada, Oklahoma. He was the second of four children of the late Grayce (Breene) Kerr and the late Robert “Bob” Samuel Kerr, founder of Kerr-McGee Corporation, and former U.S.
Senator and the first native-born Governor of Oklahoma. Breene attended the University of Oklahoma; he earned his SB in geology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was the recipient of two awards from MIT: the Bronze Beaver Award in ; and the Marshall B. Dalton Award in
After graduation Breene returned home to work at Kerr-McGee. In he relocated to the East Coast and founded Kerr Consolidated, Inc., which was sold in Breene was also important in the growth of Chesapeake Energy Corporation, based in Oklahoma, which became one of the largest producers of oil and gas in the United States. Over his career, he served as a board member for numerous organizations, including: Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (former Chair); Aven Gas & Oil, Inc.; Seven Seas Petroleum, Inc.; Chesapeake Energy Corporation; and The Brookings Institution. He was a Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science and a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. In Breene and Shery formed the Grayce B, Kerr Fund, a nonprofit philanthropy.
Breene kerr biography template January 27, - September 2, WELLESLEY, MA Breene Mitchell Kerr, a quiet and self-effacing philanthropist, inventor, geologist, sailor, classic car aficionado and, perhaps most of all, a pract.Breene’s interests included competitive sailing and automobiles. He was a member of the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Club; the University Club; and the New York Yacht Club. His interest in sailing drew him to examine the effects of tides on boats. Disappointed with the tools available, Breene used his analytical skills to improve methods of navigation; he held six patents for nautical and moon clocks which provide detailed information on tides and the moon.
Breene was married to the late Sheryl (Vestal) Kerr (dec.
) for over 33 years; they had resided in Connecticut, Maryland, New York City, Maine, and most recent in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Breene is survived by four children: Marcy S. (Kerr) Yuknat, daughter from his marriage to Shery; Katherine M. (Kerr) Allen; Bradley E. Kerr; and Breene M. Kerr, Jr., children from his first marriage to Frances S.
(McMillin) Kerr; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He is also survived by two siblings: Kay (Kerr) Adair and William “Bill” G. Kerr; his brother, Robert S. Kerr, Jr., passed away in
A celebration of the lives of both Breene and Shery will be held on Sunday, October 25th, from to , in the Steamboat Building at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St.
Michaels, MD. Friends are requested to carry on the spirit of Breene’s altruism by contributing to charities or organizations that are meaningful to them and their communities.