John Battaglino grew up in Waltham in difficult circumstances: he quit school in the eighth grade to help support his family. When he passed away on August 3, at age 79, after a battle with cancer, Battaglino was successful and respected, with a long history of philanthropy and service to BU and the wider community.

“He was amazing,” says his son, John Battaglino, Jr., BU assistant dean of students and director of Student Activities. “He looked back at his life and knew he was blessed.”

The elder Battaglino served as a University trustee from 1998 to 2011, and chaired the Board of Trustees athletics committee from 2008 to 2010. He was also a member of the development, governance, and finance and budget committees.

“John Battaglino’s dedication to hard work and principled action not only drove his professional success, but also informed his outstanding service to the board,” says Robert Knox (CAS’74, Questrom’75), chair of the Board of Trustees. “His thoughtful advice and quiet consensus-building were critical to the transformation of Boston University into an international leader in higher education.”

President Robert A. Brown says the University benefited from Battaglino’s “wise counsel and quiet generosity” and notes that his service to BU continues through his son and four of his grandchildren who are alumni and active members of the University community.

Battaglino was a political fundraiser and struck up a friendship with the late John Silber (Hon.’95), BU president from 1971 to 1996, during the latter’s 1990 gubernatorial campaign; eventually Silber asked him to become a BU trustee. (At the time Battaglino was a trustee at Bentley University.)

“He was different from most people,” John Battaglino, Jr., says of his father. “A lot of folks on the board have a particular mind-set. I think what John Silber appreciated in my father was that he was outspoken, he was fearless, he wasn’t afraid to challenge people and say, ‘Wait a minute, why are we doing that?’ I think Silber putting him on all those different boards was a way of saying, ‘Hey, challenge that notion.’ He didn’t send him in with a directive, but he knew my dad would do just that.”

After working at the Harvard COOP as a young man, Battaglino opened the Brandeis COOP. He started a business called College Stores Associates, which was bought out by Barnes & Noble, and he later helped engineer the deal that brought in Barnes & Noble to run the BU bookstore, now Barnes & Noble at Boston University.

“He was like family to me,” says Kenneth Elmore (SED’87), dean of students. “I had my best fun with him arguing with him. He and I would argue about everything. It was fantastic. That was where we found a real bond. We would solve all the world’s problems. And in that, I saw a guy who was humble, a guy who was open-minded, who would ultimately say, ‘I don’t know everything.’ That was what I respected about him. I also respected his deep love for his family.”

Many who knew Battaglino were most impressed by his devotion to his youngest son, Joel, who was born with Down syndrome. “My mom and dad were certainly kind souls, but all of a sudden you’re challenged with this child who is developmentally disabled,” remembers John Battaglino, Jr. “And at the time, that was the option—do you institutionalize him? And they didn’t even think about it. ‘Of course we’re taking him home.’ And it changed their lives and changed all of our lives. What a difference it made for our family.”

Because of Joel, Battaglino helped create the Greater Waltham Arc and was active in WCI (Work, Community, Independence), nonprofit organizations that provide services and activities for the developmentally disabled.

“He saw a problem and he did something about it,” John, Jr., said in a eulogy for his father. “He recognized that there needed to be sheltered workshops, there needed to be residential communities.”

Aware that most families with Down children did not have the resources he had, Battaglino educated himself about state facilities for those who could not raise their children at home and worked closely with Governor Michael Dukakis to improve state care.

Battaglino fully enjoyed life, his son says. He was renowned for his Italian cooking, enjoyed playing golf, and later was a devoted horseracing fan.

“I’ll miss him,” says Elmore. “What I loved about him, too, whenever I saw him, he never flinched in giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He always, always, always did that.”

The younger Battaglino says with a laugh, “I remember one time when I was a little kid, I said, ‘What are you going to do if you make a million dollars?’ And he said, ‘I’m going to live just like I do now, but I’m going to be able to pay for it.’”

Battaglino is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, 5 children, 11 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren—one born just the day before he died.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held in Sacred Heart Church in Waltham on August 7. Donations in his memory can be made to GWARC, 56 Chestnut St., Waltham, MA, 02453, or WCI, 135 Beaver St., Waltham, MA, 02452.