Mercersburg Academy Regent Emeritus Joseph Huber ’64 has been chosen to receive the school’s highest honor, the Class of ’32 Distinguished Alumni Award. This prestigious recognition is presented annually to members of the alumni body who have most distinguished themselves through character, service, and achievement. Other award recipients have included Jimmy Stewart ’28, Gerry Lenfest ’49, Dick Thornburgh ’50, Walter Burgin ’53, John Jones III ’73, Deborah Simon ’74, and Huber’s classmates Dick Cass ’64 and Steve Guttman ’64.

“My experience at Mercersburg has been a continuum of lifelong learning,” Huber said. “Starting with the instruction and support to excel in mathematics and science, I developed a strong sense of self-confidence and preparedness that elevated the trajectory of my life to a totally different plane. Fifteen years after graduation, Board of Regents Chair Carl Erdman ’33 invited me to join the Board, prefaced by a directive I have adopted as a lifelong standard: “Serving on the Board is a commitment, not a convenience.”

Huber has distinguished himself through his career in finance, as well as service to Mercersburg Academy and other organizations. In 2019, he received Mercersburg’s Alumni Council Medal for Distinguished Service, which recognizes alumni who have made outstanding contributions toward Mercersburg’s mission and continued excellence at the school, as reflected in its faculty, student body, facilities, and financial strength.

Huber has spent his entire 54-year career in financial services. In 1970, he started his career with White, Weld & Co. in Philadelphia. A few years later, he was an adviser to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In 1978, he joined The First Boston Corporation, where he was named managing director in 1982. Over the years, he managed First Boston’s offices in Philadelphia and Chicago, as well as its asset management business and multi-billion-dollar retirement and employee investment plans. He now serves as a senior adviser to UBS.

Huber is a former governor of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange and a former board member of several Vanguard companies. He serves as vice chairman of the Lenfest Foundation and the Lenfest Scholars Foundation, both of which were created by Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest ’49. The Lenfest Scholars Foundation has provided hundreds of college scholarships to rural Pennsylvania students. Huber also serves on the boards of Upgrade Inc. (a San Francisco-based financial technology company), Foster Holdings, Indian River Land Trust, and the New York Yacht Club Foundation. He holds emeritus board positions at Mercersburg and the Independence Seaport Museum.

“I am pleased to present Joe with the Class of ’32 Award,” Head of School Quentin McDowell P ’25, ’27 said. “Joe’s professional achievements, character, and service make us proud. His service to the school and dedication to a myriad of noble causes has set an example within our community, advanced Mercersburg’s mission, and brought us great honor. We are proud to call him an alum.”

Huber has a long history of service to Mercersburg. He was a member of the Board of Regents (1979-1985 and 1999-2009) and is a current special member appointee to the Investment Committee. He was chair of his 50th reunion committee (2013-2014) and has served as a Daring to Lead campaign host committee member (2014), an Annual Fund volunteer, and a class agent. He remains active in alumni affairs.

Huber also has 56 consecutive years of leadership giving to the school. He and his wife, Louise, established the Joseph F. Huber ’64 Department Chair of Mathematics to support teaching excellence at Mercersburg. The chair is currently held by Mathematics Department Head Amy Kelley.

The chair honors former faculty members Herbert “Fido” Kempton, Stephen Chandler, and Walter Burgin ’53, who inspired Huber’s interest and excellence in mathematics. His generosity to Mercersburg continues as a member of the William Mann Irvine Society, the Via Lucis Society, and the McDowell Society.

As a student at Mercersburg, Huber was a chapel usher, basketball manager, and member of the Orientation Committee, Blue Key, Engineering Club, Chess Club, Electronics Club, Projection Crew, and Karux.

He currently enjoys racquet sports, fitness, golf, and sailing, for which he has won several national championships.

Huber graduated from Lafayette College with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with honors and earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. 

The Hubers have two children, Margot and Stephen, and six grandchildren. The couple splits their time between Vero Beach, FL, and Bryn Mawr, PA.

Huber and the Alumni Council Award recipients will be honored during Reunion Weekend, June 7-9, 2024.