Stephen R. Volk ’57
Stephen R. Volk ’57 died of urothelial cancer on January 20. Steve graduated from Brookline (Massachusetts) High School. He majored in English, was a Phi Beta Kappa, and was best known as an editor of The Dartmouth. He earned his degree from Harvard Law School, where he later served on the dean’s advisory board. In 1960 Steve joined Shearman & Sterling, a prestigious law firm in New York City specializing in mergers and acquisitions (M&A). He was made partner in 1968 and senior partner in 1991. He remained there as senior partner for 10 years. Steve built its M&A practice to new heights while handling many of the largest and most transformative mergers ever. These included DuPont’s $7.6-billion purchase of Conoco and the $8.3-billion merger of Paramount and Viacom. He drove the firm’s international expansion. In 1997 Businessweek printed a two-page profile calling Steve “Master of the M&A Universe.” Retiring from Shearman in 2001, Steve started a distinguished career in banking. He became chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston and then joined Citigroup as vice chairman. He helped Citi navigate the financial crisis and restructure its Latin American debt portfolio. Citi regards Steve as “a legendary banker and lawyer as well as a revered role model.” He retired from Citi in 2021. Steve enjoyed mentoring and nurtured the careers of numerous lawyers and bankers. He is survived by wife Diane; children Jeffrey, Andrew, Michael, and Anne; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
