J. Erik Jonsson Ethics Award

The J. Erik Jonsson Ethics Award is named in honor of a public-spirited former mayor of Dallas.  It is given to individuals who epitomize the spirit of moral leadership and public virtue.  The founders of our nation foresaw that the ideal of liberty alone would not sustain our country unless accompanied by the concept of "public virtue," a sacrifice of self and resources for the public good.  The Maguire Center is proud to present this award to people whose careers should be recognized, honored, and modeled.

The 2010 luncheon in honor of Bob Buford will be on February 10, 2010, at noon at the Belo Mansion  Click here for information about sponsorship levels and for the general response form.

award recipients

Ronald G. Steinhart (2008-2009)
Michael M. Boone (2007-2008)
Zan W. Holmes Jr., M.Th. (2006-2007)
Roger Staubach (2005-2006)
Caren Prothro (2004-2005)
Tom Luce (2003-2004)
Ron Anderson, M.D. (2002-2003)
Jack Lowe, Jr. (2001-2002)
William T. Solomon (1999-2000)
Stanley H. Marcus (1998-1999)
Charles C. Sprague, M.D. (1997-1998)
Curtis W. Meadows, Jr. (1996-1997)

j. erik jonsson

J. Erik Jonsson, a founder of Texas Instruments, selfless civic worker, mayor of Dallas, and committed philanthropist, exemplified the highest ethical standards in his many business and civic endeavors. As a visionary who recognized and often stated that all businesses owed a great debt to their community, he sought to repay that debt through selfless work as a civic leader and through his philanthropy in education.

Mr. Jonsson was the leader in transforming Texas Instruments from a company offering geophysical services to one that pioneered the high-tech world of electronics and semiconductors. His accomplishments were recognized in 1975 when he was one of only four living Americans to be elected to the new National Business Hall of Fame, joining such historical luminaries as Henry Ford, J. Pierpont Morgan, Alfred P. Sloan, and Andrew Carnegie.

Mr. Jonsson insisted on the highest ethical standards for Texas Instruments. The company set an early example in formalizing a code of ethics for its executives and employees.

His own leadership in Dallas’ civic affairs culminated when he was selected to be mayor in the dark period following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In that position from 1964 to 1971, Mr. Jonsson established himself as the most accomplished mayor in the city’s history. Under his guidance the city built a new city hall, the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and a new municipal library. He founded and largely financed the Goals for Dallas program that for the first time in the city’s history involved people of all races in establishing long-range municipal goals.

A mechanical engineer educated at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Mr. Jonsson was born in Brooklyn of Swedish immigrant parents, spent his early life in New Jersey, and moved to Dallas in 1934 to join the company that was a predecessor to Texas Instruments.