e-Communiqué

August/September 2007

Published exclusively for members of ACCED-I

Jack Thornton, one of ACCED-I’s 11 esteemed founders, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family on July 21, 2007 from a battle with cancer. Jack was instrumental in the creation and development of the Association and touched the lives of many ACCED-I members, as a mentor and friend.

Jack was born in Troy, Texas on Sept. 23, 1930 to L.L. and Alma Mae (McMullen) Thornton. He graduated from Temple High School in 1948. He married Irene McClain on June 18, 1950 in Temple. He served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He had three daughters and one son.

One of the joys of his life was Baylor University. Jack had two careers at Baylor: 20 years as director of data processing (information technology) and 21 years as university host. He came to Baylor in 1957 during the days of the old punch-card computer system.

After he organized a national conference at the Waco Convention Center, then-Baylor President Herbert H. Reynolds asked him to become the full-time conference coordinator for Baylor. Reynolds gave him the new title of university host and director of the Wiethorn Visitors Center, with the responsibilities of working with conference visitors, summer programs on campus, helping entertain the spouses of trustees during board meetings, and housing visiting dignitaries and professors from universities around the world. He retired from Baylor in May 1998.

As university host, Jack’s work with university conferences and events became his passion. Fueled by his passion, Jack found and connected with a handful of other professionals working with university conferences and events including Pat Wessel, Fairleigh Dickinson University. Pat organized a meeting of individuals across the country who planned conferences or events on their campus. These 11 individuals, including Jack, had the vision to create an association for the profession – the Association of Conference and Events Directors-International. (The name was changed to the Association of Collegiate Conference and Events Directors-International in 1998.) Original Steering Committee Members were: Larry Anderson, Emporia State University, Kansas; Whitney Dean, Pine Manor College, Massachusetts; Ed Julian, University of Kansas, Kansas; Luther Klenke, Concordia College, Nebraska; Sheila Longa, Lincoln University, Missouri; John Nichols, Whittier College, California; Pat Perfetto, Syracuse University, New York; John Richards, Texas A&M University, Texas; Laureen Skrivan, University of Puget Sound, Washington; Jack Thornton, Baylor University, Texas; and Pat Wessel, Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey.

The first Annual Conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia in 1981 and the tradition continued yearly. Participation in the conference and membership grew each year. The Association operated under the direction of a volunteer board of directors with membership and financial records being rotated between directors. Jack was elected the first president of the Association and served from 1981 – 1982.

After Jack’s service as president, he remained actively involved in ACCED-I and served as the chair of the site selection committee for the Annual Conference for 18 years. In November 1997, the Board of Directors renamed the Association’s Distinguished Service Award to the Jack Thornton Distinguished Service Award in honor of his devotion and work on ACCED-I’s behalf.

In November 1998, the Board approved Jack’s nomination for Honorary Membership and formally recognized him at the 1999 Annual Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. Jack’s contributions as a founding member, board member, president, past president, and chair of the site selection committee had a significant impact on ACCED-I and the collegiate conference and events profession.

In addition to ACCED-I, Jack was very involved with CUMREC (College & University Machine Records Conference). A Jack M. Thornton/CUMREC HSB Scholarship Fund was established to commemorate Jack’s love for Baylor and helping students.

Jack will truly be missed by all those who knew him. However, his legacy with ACCED-I lives on and memorialized by the Jack Thornton Distinguished Service Award.