Timothy R. Pearson and Thomas L. Pearson (pictured, from lef) and Philip K. Pearson and David L. Pearson (not pictured) hope others will join them in supporting The Pearson Insti- tute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts and The Pearson Global Forum.

n 2013, Tom and Tim Pearson visited Oslo, Norway, bring ideas and interests to the table. We were also exposed to as guests of the Norwegian Nobel Committee to attend the ideas of influential political leaders, missionaries, scholars the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. A decade ear- and writers who joined our family over Sunday dinners. I can lier, as a global managing partner of the global audit, still recall the especially emotional conversation we had about tax and consulting firm KPMG, Tim had negotiat- theology in our home with future Nobel Peace Prize laureate ed an agreement for KPMG International to become Desmond Tutu.” the founding partner for the Nobel Peace Center, a While these early experiences broadened their perspective new museum dedicated solely to Nobel Peace Prize on the world, the strong guidance of their parents infused the winners and their accomplishments. Now the twin values and drive to lead productive and committed lives. Their brothers, following a gift by The Thomas L. Pearson father, the Rev. Dr. Richard L. Pearson, was a prominent Meth- and The Pearson Family Members Fund, returned as odist minister deeply committed to equal rights and social jus- the global benefactors of the Nobel Peace Prize concert. The tice. “In the summer of 1965, he marched in Selma, Alabama, Iannual event, broadcast to a global audience of more than 350 with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and participated in voter reg- million households in 100 countries, features musical perfor- istration drives across the deep South,” Tim recalls. “Fourteen mances and speeches commemorating the year’s Nobel Peace years later, at the invitation of President Carter in recognition of Prize laureate. his social justice interests, he was invited to the White House for “Tom and I were deeply moved by the in-field work of the a briefing on disarmament talks with the Soviet Union.” 2013 Nobel Peace Prize winner—the Organization for the Pro- Their mother, Ramalee E. Pearson, grew up as a Methodist hibition of Chemical Weapons—and by the remarks of the team minister’s daughter to become a committed homemaker and col- leader who referenced his colleagues’ work in Syria,” Tim says. lege professor of religion and theater. She also made time for “We learned that individuals can indeed make a difference in food drives, soup kitchens and other volunteer activities with the world. But we also came to believe that individual efforts members of her church. Active in community theater, Ramalee could be even more impactful through a fact-driven, met- once played the leading role in Mame—a slightly risqué role for ric-based, analytical approach.” a minister’s wife in the 1970s. As Tom recalls, “She taught us This experience, and others like it with previous Nobel Peace by example the value of hard work, the responsibility to help Prize laureates, helped crystallize another belief that the Pear- others and an especially enduring lesson: that a good life is an son brothers came to hold: that mitigating violent global con- engaged life.” flicts is the single most important challenge, responsibility and Together, Richard and Ramalee Pearson raised four sons, public policy issue of our time. all of whom value personal accomplishment and social respon- This passionate belief is the driving force behind The Pear- sibility. Philip was a high school athlete who won academic DRIVEN son Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts scholarships for college and studied abroad at the University and The Pearson Global Forum. This new initiative, created in of Aberdeen. David continues his lifelong affiliation with the late 2015 through a landmark $100 million gift by The Thom- Methodist church by serving as a local leader at a church in as L. Pearson and The Pearson Family Members Foundation, downtown Chicago and as a social rights advocate. Tom and places the University of Chicago and the Harris School of Pub- Tim earned Eagle Scout status by the eighth grade and both lic Policy at the forefront of global conflict resolution. won scholarships and academic awards while working their way through college. All four brothers still strive to lead the meaningful, positive, contributory lives their parents modeled LEADING BY EXAMPLE for them. he four Pearson brothers—Tim, Tom, Philip and Da- “In his sermons, our father often invoked the well-known TOStrong family values inspire LEADa landmark $100 million gift vid—are no strangers to serious discussion and social Biblical passage ‘To whom much is given, much is required,’” and unleash the power of a data-driven approach to global conflicts. engagement. “Growing up in Iowa, family dinners were Tom recalls. “That’s become very much a filament in the fabric T a time to explore new ideas,” Tom recalls. “Our par- of our lives—the drive to make the most of our talents and gifts— BY ROB SQUIRE, AM’83 ents were educated professionals, and they would expect us to and to do good works.”

24 UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO CHICAGO HARRIS SPRING/SUMMER 2016 25 “NO SINGLE ISSUE IS MORE IMPORTANT TODAY THAN THE STUDY OF THE INTERSECTION OF WAR, FAILED STATES, TERRORISM AND ECONOMIC CATACLYSMS.”

A crowd of more than 1,400 gathered at the University’s Mandel Hall on September 30, 2015, for the announcement of the Pearson family’s historic $100 million gif. The daylong event also featured a keynote address by Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass, discussions with conflict experts and a live music concert.

“The Pearson family is very aware of the impact every one of Tim took his liberal arts education in an altogether different have,” Tom says. “Today, 59.5 million people are refugees, dis- The Pearson Institute and The Pearson Global Forum us can make if we choose to do so in our community,” says Kath- direction. He served as the first-ever chief marketing officer at placed or seeking asylum. The time to act is now.” will be the first of their kind devoted solely to the study ryn Hall, the former U.S. ambassador to Austria. “The brothers global professional services firm KPMG. As a vice chairman and The Pearsons also talked at length about philanthropy—and ar- and resolution of global conflicts. They will confront to- were raised in a family committed to humanity, where service global managing partner, he also served on the U.S. management rived at an approach that was true to their values. “We surveyed day’s new era of violent conflicts by filling a critical gap is part of who they are.” committee and the international executive team. Tim is now the current landscape and looked for a model that would provide a in identifying new strategies—rooted in innovative and da- president and CEO of The Thomas L. Pearson and The Pearson return on our philanthropic investment,” Tom says. “The strate- ta-driven research approaches—that will act as a driving force in Family Members Foundation. He also advises and counsels se- gic approach we adopted is driven by a clear mission with goals and transforming how we understand and approach global conflicts. CARRYING THE TORCH nior management teams and boards of Fortune 1000 companies objectives, strong institutional partnership, active involvement, “When I heard about the Pearsons’ gift to the University of s the brothers grew up, Tom and Tim chose professional on business and brand strategy through his own Atlanta-based executional rigor, an ‘asset-light’ structure and accountability.” Chicago, I was blown away,” said Bill George, senior fellow careers that ultimately prepared them to lead the fami- consultancy, Pearson Advisors || Partners. In 2011 McGraw at Harvard Business School, former chairman and CEO of ly’s philanthropic mission. An accomplished attorney Hill published his New York Times best seller The Old Rules of Medtronic, and the best-selling author of Authentic Leadership: Aand executive, Tom spent most of his career in the en- Marketing Are Dead, which explains how brands must evolve to A LASTING LEGACY Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value and Discovering ergy sector, serving as senior vice president, general counsel stay relevant in today’s Internet-dominated world. n 2011 the brothers established The Thomas L. Pearson Your True North. “I had no idea that they were talking about a and corporate secretary of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. Tom and Tim have supported many charitable organizations and The Pearson Family Members Foundation and began gift of this magnitude or something that would have this enor- and Alliance Holdings GP, L.P.—two publicly traded master over the years. But when their parents passed, they began to to search in earnest for the right academic institution and mous impact. If we can just avoid one armed conflict through limited partnerships. Previously, he co-led the leveraged buy- discuss what each desired the Pearson family’s legacy to be af- I partner to carry their vision forward. the work at The Pearson Institute, that’s going to be a great gift outs that culminated in the two public stock offerings for the ter their own passing. Conversations at a family home in the “We evaluated a number of leading U.S. universities, but to humanity.” Tulsa-based energy firm, which is the third-largest coal mining Utah mountains and discussions with brothers Philip and Da- quickly became convinced that the University of Chicago would “We base our optimism about The Pearson Institute’s future company in the Eastern United States. vid quickly coalesced. The Pearson family would help make be the best partner,” Tim says. “The University has committed on one very simple belief: If we change one life, we’ve been suc- Today, Tom serves as chairman of The Thomas L. Pearson the world a less violent place by supporting research aimed at leadership. It has an existing entity, the Harris School of Public cessful,” Tim says. “If we change millions of people’s lives by and The Pearson Family Members Foundation, whose gift reducing global conflicts, and by applying research conclusions Policy, where The Pearson Institute can reside and undertake our ability to inform public policy, we believe there’s no greater to the University established The Pearson Institute and The to inform related public policy. new forms of interdisciplinary and data-driven research. It has legacy the Pearson family can leave for the world.” ◆ Pearson Global Forum. He also sits on the Executive Council “No single issue is more important today than the study of global reach through its collaborative University Centers in Par- dan dry dan of Cohesive Capital Partners, where he advises partners of the the intersection of war, failed states, terrorism and economic is, Beijing, Delhi and Hong Kong. And from its inception, the Rob Squire, AM’83, is a Chicago-based business writer who covers New York City-based private equity firm on global and region- cataclysms—and more importantly, the response that the design University has fostered an environment in which rigorous inqui- the financial and professional services, healthcare, higher education al economic, political and industry matters. of policies directed toward forming a more peaceful world will ry is successfully applied to society’s toughest problems.” and nonprofit sectors.

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