John '70 and Annette Mortinson Whaley '71
Greta Cunningham ‘23, Communications Intern
August 8, 2023
In the spring of 2013, Cretin-Derham Hall dedicated Whaley Hall, including world language classrooms, administrative offices, and more, in honor of generous and continued beneficence to CDH by John ’70 and Annette Mortinson Whaley ’71.
“It’s been important for us to offer our support because Cretin and Derham Hall were great schools for us when we went through, and we’re so fortunate that CDH was there for our daughters,” said John. “We’ve benefited from the efforts and gifts of prior generations, so it just seemed like it was our turn to help it continue on into the future.”
The Whaley’s daughters, Megan ’00, Lauren ’03, and Caitlin ’06, are third-generation CDH students. John’s father, John Whaley ’40, and uncles, Ambrose Whaley ’32, Br. Edmund Whaley FSC ’35, and Roger Whaley ’39 attended Cretin as well.
“I think the fact that one of my uncles ended up becoming a Christian Brother shows how highly he was influenced by his experience at Cretin,” said John.
The Whaley and Mortinson families have a long legacy in the CDH community. Br. Edmund Whaley ’35 was recognized in 1987 with the Saint DeLaSalle Award, presented each year to a Cretin alum for service to the community and achievements in ministry. John’s sisters, Mary Whaley Bouska ’67, Kathleen Whaley Wysoki ’69, and Jean Whaley ’76, who will be recognized with a community award this October, are all alumni of Derham Hall. John’s brothers Tim ’78, Thomas ’78, Gregory ’79, Kevin ’85, and Annette’s brother Thomas Mortinson ’65 are alumni of Cretin.
“For us, CDH is really about community. It extends well beyond the classroom, and over the years, it’s become multi generational for our family,” said Annette.
For both John and Annette, high school was a formative time, shaped by their teachers and peers.
“When I think back to my time in high school, what comes to mind are the day to day interactions with faculty and classmates that formed strong bonds,” said John. “I was also a baseball player, and, at that time, we were one of the best teams in the state, along with St. Thomas Academy, so we got to have some high profile rivalry games.”
Not only did their time at Cretin and Derham Hall foster foundational relationships and memories but also integral values that have remained fundamental to their work today.
“I was in high school during the late 60s and early 70s, which were very interesting times culturally and socially in our country,” said Annette. “We were encouraged to bring our faith into practice and taught that it didn’t stop at the school doors. The nuns and lay faculty really stressed the importance of social issues, involvement in our communities, and what was going on in the world. They encouraged us to keep our eyes open to what was happening around us, and I think that has very much played out in our lives. I’m still very close with quite a few of my high school friends, so it continues on.”
After Cretin, John studied business and accounting at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and received his MBA from the University of St. Thomas, after which he spent nearly 40 years as a partner at Norwest Equity Partners. Annette graduated from Macalester College, where she majored in American history and political science with a minor in journalism. She then went on to write for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Together, they established the Whaley Foundation in 2000.
“We formed the Whaley Foundation when our daughters were still quite young. We wanted to bring them into our decisions about where to give and why, and we’ve really enjoyed that experience over the years,” said John.
The Whaley Foundation has supported the social needs of the community through United Way and the arts through the Walker Art Center, where John has been a trustee for many years. Their support for education, their primary focus, has been directed to their alma maters and the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy. The Whaleys first learned about KGSA through a CDH classmate of their daughter, Ryan Sarafolean Banning ’03, a co-founder of the foundation, which provides free high school education to girls in Kibera, Kenya, one of the largest slums in the world.
“It falls right into line with our support for education, particularly for girls’ education, by helping young women who would otherwise rarely go beyond grade school. It’s been very gratifying for us to see how that program has really expanded,” said Annette.
In 2004, Annette was presented with the Hugh Derham Award, and, in 2011, she and John received the Monsignor V. Ambrose Hayden Legacy Award, both of which recognize community members who have exemplified dedicated service and the charisms of the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Christian Brothers. Annette has also served on the CDH board.
“It’s very much a pleasure and an honor for us to be able to help support an institution that we feel is vital to our family and the community,” said Annette.