Jack Sawtelle Blanton
Appointed by
Chairman Term
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Date of Passing
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on December 7, 1927. Attended Houston Public schools and received B.A. in 1947 and L.L.B. in 1950 from The University of Texas at Austin. Southwest Conference tennis winner, 1945; Past President of Ex-Students' Association, The University of Texas; Honorary Doctor of Laws, Centenary College, Shreveport, Louisiana, May 1976; Recipient of 1978 Distinguished Alumnus Award from The University of Texas at Austin. Appointed to the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System in 1985.
Joined Scurlock Oil Company in 1950, assuming Presidency in 1958, elevated to Chairman of the Board and C.E.O. in April, 1983; Vice President of Eddy Refining Company.
Member of the Board of Directors of Texas Commerce Bancshares and of Texas Commerce Bank, N.A .; Texas Commerce Bank-River Oaks; Member of Board of Directors of Southwestern Bell Corporation; member of Board of Directors of Gordon Jewelry Corporation; member of Board of Directors of United Energy Resources; Past President of The Houston Club; Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Methodist Hospital; member of the Board of Directors of Texas Medical Center, Inc.; Former member of Board of Managers, Harris County Hospital District.
Is current President (1984-86) of Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association; past President of Texas Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association and active in other oil-industry organizations. Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Houston Chamber of Commerce, assuming Chairmanship in May 1985. Former Vice- President of The Sam Houston Area Council, Boy Scouts of America; former Vice- President of the Houston Museum of Natural Science; member of the Board of the Greater Houston Bowl Association; member of the Council of Overseers, Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Administration, Rice University; former member of the Board, The University of Texas Graduate School of Business; former member of the Advisory Council, College of Business Administration Foundation, The University of Texas at Austin; member of the Board of Goodwill Industries; former President of Houston Tennis Association; member of Texas State Historical Association and the Texas Philosophical Society; member of the Houston Area Research Center; active member in many Houston and Texas civic and Charitable efforts.
last updated in 1986
Notes
Excerpt from handout provided by the College of Business Administration at U. T. Austin honoring the 1997 "Hall of Fame" inductees:
Blanton was elected to the U. T. Board of Regents in 1985 and in 1987 was elected Chairman, at a time when higher education in Texas suddenly was confronted with a 26% reduction in its budget. With dedication and indefatigable energy, Blanton worked to rally people to the cause, and in the summer of 1987, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed the largest tax increase in the State's history, much going to support higher education.
Blanton has devoted his life to the State of Texas, with education continuing to be a major focus. It is to The University of Texas at Austin, however, that Blanton has made his greatest contributions. A Past President of the Ex-Students' Assocation, Blanton served on the Centennial Commission, and he is a member of the UT Development Board, the Littlefield Society, and the Executive Committee of the Chancellor's Council. In recognition for his many contributions, Blanton has been honored by The University of Texas School of Law, and in 1977, received the Distinguished Alumnus Award, U. T. Austin's highest honor.
From his father, Blanton learned that being involved is a lot more fun than being on the sidelines. Few have been more involved, or contributed more. To schools and libraries, museums and orchestras, to charitable organizations and hospitals, civic and religious groups, Blanton has given tirelessly of himself. He has been particularly active in health affairs, serving as a member of the Board of Managers of the Harris County Hospital District, as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Methodist Hospital, and as a Director of the Texas Medical Center. Those in the Houston business community elected him Chairman of the Greater Houston Chamber of Commerce, and in 1990, he was named Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Houston Endowment, the largest philanthropic foundation in Texas.
Blanton resides in Houston with his wife, Laura Lee. The Blantons have three children, Elizabeth Blanton Wareing; Jack S. Blanton, Jr.; and Eddy S. Blanton.
Bibliography of works by Jack S. Blanton, Sr.
- University of Texas System. Santa Rita Award Presented to Jack S. Blanton: February 9, 1994. Austin, Texas: The University of Texas System, 1994.
