Chairman and chief executive officer of WSF Industries Inc., and of Buxton Machine & Tool Co. Inc., he had served earlier as president of Marine Midland Bank Western. In 1970, at 36, he became the bank's youngest president. When Marine became a statewide banking institution in 1974, he was named a group executive vice president and a director.

Hettrick had served on the Board of Trustees of the UB Foundation since 1971. As chairman of the board from 1988 to 1992, he provided outstanding leadership for the Foundation's five-year, $52 million Pathways to Greatness campaign, the largest campaign in SUNY history and in UB's 30 years as a public university.

Hettrick's efforts during this campaign typified his more than 20 years of service to the university. In 1988, he received the UB Alumni Association's Walter P. Cooke Award for outstanding service by a non-alumnus. He long promoted UB as one of Western New York's major assets and helped build invaluable partnerships between UB and the regional business community.

"John was a dear friend of UB for many years. He led and helped to shape the Pathways to Greatness capital campaign of the late 1980s," said UB President William R. Greiner. "All of us who had the privilege of working with him and enjoying his company will miss him very much."

In 1993 UB honored Hettrick by naming him recipient of the President's Medal. Given in recognition of signal and extraordinary service to UB, the President's Medal is presented for outstanding scholarly or artistic achievements, humanitarian acts, contributions of time or treasure, exemplary leadership and other major contributions to the development of the university and quality of life in the UB community. He was named Businessman of the Year by the UB School of Management in 1970.

Hettrick served the community for many years in a variety of leadership roles and in 1974 was presented with the Brotherhood Award by the Buffalo Chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He was a past president and a director of Junior Achievement of the Niagara Frontier from 1967- 1987. A member of Junior Achievement's national board for many years, he served as national chairman of Project Business, Junior Achievement's first nationwide school program. In conjunction with Project Business, he taught a course at St. Mary's School for the Deaf, aided by his sons, John Lord Jr. and James P.

Hettrick was a former chairman of the National Alliance of Businessmen, a former chairman of the Buffalo United Fund, a director of Buffalo Fine Arts Academy and a member since 1968 of the board of managers of the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society. A trustee of the former Western Savings Bank and the former Buffalo Savings Bank and its successor, the former Goldome Bank, he was a director of the Buffalo Club and the Saturn Club.

An active member of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral parish, he served on the vestry and headed the drive to build the cathedral's columbarium. A longtime member and former chairman of the corporate gifts committee of Episcopal Charities, he was chairman of the major gifts committee for the $4 million Forward in Faith Fund drive and served on the campus ministry committee.

An Army veteran, Hettrick was commisssioned a second lieutenant in 1955 through the Reserve Officers Training Program upon graduation from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. He served two years of active duty and then continued in the Army Reserve, attaining the rank of captain.

His wife, Marcia Allard Hettrick, died in September. Surviving, in addition to his sons, are a brother, George H. of Richmond, Va. and five grandchildren.