Philanthropist
Jack S. Blanton
Notes from Evan Smith
"As you might say in another context: It is risen. And, indeed, given its history, the very existence of the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, the fact of its opening in late April 2006, the fact that the more than $83 million in took to pull the thing off was raised without too much bloodletting, the fact that Austin and Texas will soon be home to the largest university art museum in the country, is nothing short of a miracle. To commemorate the occasion, we have as our guest this week one of the main miracle workers, the man whose name adorns the spiffy new building: Jack S. Blanton, a philanthropist without peer, and as loyal a Longhorn as the forty acres have ever known. Born in Shreveport but raised in Houston, 77-year-old Blanton graduated from UT in 1947 with a double major in government and history, and from UT Law School in 1950. That same year, he went to work for an oil field services company, Scurlock Oil, rising through the ranks to become its president and eventually its CEO and chairman. In addition to his successful career in the oil business, Blanton has been a civic leader in Houston, leading the Houston Endowment as chairman of its board of trustees and generally contributing much to life in his hometown through service on the boards of institutions like The Methodist Healthcare System and the Texas Medical Center. He also served for two years as chairman of the UT System Board of Regents, and during that time was credited with being a tireless advocate for higher education funding. But his greatest legacy may well be the Blanton, as the museum is already widely known. Jack is a modest man, but I can speak from personal experience, as a longtime member of the Blanton Museum Council, that his dedication and commitment and passion drove every decision to press ahead with the construction of a truly superlative facility, and he himself continues to be an inspiration to one and all. " - Evan Smith, Texas Monthly Talks, Broadcast 4.27.06
