Tribute to John R. Thorne

A Tribute to John R. Thorne
By Arthur A. Boni, Ph.D.
Director – Donald H. Jones Center for Entrepreneurship
John R. Thorne Professor of Entrepreneurship

I met Jack first in 1996 when I moved back to Pittsburgh from Boston. That started a relationship that grew from a casual to a close working collaboration. Jack then convinced me to join the faculty at the Tepper School of Business, which led to an eventual leadership role at the Jones Center for Entrepreneurship. For the last 5 years Jack has been my mentor and close advisor as he passed the leadership mantle for his legacy to me – an awesome responsibility which I take very seriously. Our close working relationship has given me a broad perspective on Jack and the huge impact that he has made on entrepreneurship education at Carnegie Mellon and well beyond. I want to share some of that with you today.

Memorials usually indicate the year of birth and death with “a short dash” in between. I’d suggest that we focus on the dash since those are the years that mark Jack’s time with us and the impact that he has made. The narrative starts on the day of our birth and ends on the day of our passing from this world. But does it? I’d suggest that Jack’s legacy will last beyond his years with us.  It’s really what one accomplishes between those dates that provide a continuing legacy for those of us who follow. What impact is made? Have you made a difference in the world? Have you left a legacy to others? Have you made life better for those around you? So, let’s look at the huge dash left by Jack. In his case, it’s long enough to span the distance between Ligonier and Pittsburgh! Actually all the way to Los Angeles but we’ll deal with that another day. The answers to the questions that I posed are all strongly positive for Jack, not only at Carnegie Mellon and Pittsburgh, but also in Ligonier. My remarks here will focus only on Carnegie Mellon University and on Pittsburgh, the time between 1972 and 2008.

Jack returned to his native Pittsburgh after a career as a successful entrepreneur in southern California instead of moving to Boston and MIT. He was recruited by the late Dr. Richard M. Cyert, then Dean of the Graduate School of Industrial Administration and later Carnegie Mellon’s president (Dr. Cyert set the school on the upward trajectory to today’s global leadership position). Carnegie Mellon and GSIA were Jack’s alma mater, and Dr. Cyert recruited him as a successful entrepreneur to provide a leadership role in what at the time was a non-existent field of entrepreneurship teaching. Jack was perfect for that role, and of course he did provide the vision and leadership. He became a force at Carnegie Mellon and in Pittsburgh, while I may add commuting from Ligonier, his chosen home.

As I travel around the country visiting alumni and Jack’s peers from other universities I am always asked how Jack is doing, a testament to his standing with peers and students worldwide as a thought-leader and role model. He has enabled thousands to follow their dreams and inspired them to create countless organizations. His hard work and perseverance led to accomplishments, contributions and an ongoing legacy too numerous to count, but here is a short and impressive list:

• Founder of the Donald H. Jones Center for Entrepreneurship.  Jack raised funds for operations from Don Jones and used that funding to leverage contributions from many other individuals and local foundations to support the launch and growth of the center.
• Raised multimillion dollar endowments to support:
  • The David T. and Lindsay Morgenthaler Professorship in Entrepreneurship – a chair which he held during his tenure and then with emeritus status.
  • The John R. Thorne Professorship in Entrepreneurship – a chair provided by the generosity and appreciation of Jack’s friends and former students – I am the current holder of that chair.
  • The Gerald E. McGinnis endowment which has been used to support the McGinnis Venture Competition, an international competition run by the Tepper School of Business for MBA teams that are creating new companies.

What about Pittsburgh as a region? There is an equally long list here but let me focus on three:

• Founder of the Enterprise Corporation, an organization that provided assistance to aspiring entrepreneurs. This eventually became part of Innovation Works, which now is a leading local technology-based development organization serving the 11- county region of western Pennsylvania with a significant budget.

• Founder of the Pittsburgh Seed Fund to fund entrepreneurs who are at the starting stages of building their new ventures.

• An early (and often times) first investor personally in many of those organizations, which led to an emergence of a technology-business cluster in Pittsburgh that is now approaching critical mass. Jack provided not only funds but a real value-added mentorship role.

So, what do his associates, former students and friends say about Jack? The Tepper School hosted a website where people could list their comments and recollections about Jack. As I checked the list it ran to well over 20 pages and continues to grow. Here are a few that I have annotated:

David and Lindsay Morgenthaler - “Lindsay and I send our deepest sympathies to Jack’s family and friends. Jack was a wonderful human and the very model of what a professor of entrepreneurship should be. He was the first recipient of our Chair in Entrepreneurship, and the program was designed around his strengths. We are already meeting successful entrepreneurs who say ‘Jack Thorne is responsible for what I have accomplished.’  His work will live on and benefit the lives of many people for generations to come.”

Don Jones – “Jack worked extremely hard and attracted others to his vision. He left his mark on Carnegie Mellon and on the whole community of entrepreneurs.”

Frank Demmler – “As I reflect on the Pittsburgh of today with its dynamic entrepreneurial environment, there were fewer than 20 who were instrumental in getting this done. Jack was more equal than the others.”

Sarosh Kumana – “Jack inspired generations of budding entrepreneurs. He inspired us so that we dared to dream, and gave us the tools to remake ourselves into entrepreneurs. This inscription resides on the statue of ‘The Self-Made Man’ given to the Tepper School in Jack’s honor." 

Joe Daugherty – “Jack was one of my early mentors who was a teacher, a business partner, and a long-time friend. He inspired everyone who came into contact with him to make sure what they were doing added value to the people they were doing it for. I learned that entrepreneurs were the true change agents.” 

Pete Ball – “Jack is an icon, one of a kind, a true and gentle man. He was one of the few people who had a significant influence on my life. “

Manu Kumar – “I recall Jack’s definition of entrepreneurship – insane perseverance in the face of complete resistance. This is one of the most important lessons of my entrepreneurial life. He was a remarkable entrepreneur, an outstanding teacher, and a great human being.” Similar sentiments were expressed by Dave Mawhinney, another student and successful entrepreneur.

Joel Adams – “When I met Jack and heard what his entrepreneurship studies series was all about, I decided to come to Carnegie Mellon. It was a great experience and I have never left Pittsburgh after starting my business there. Jack’s patience and guiding hand helped many, and I’m one of them.”

The list goes on an on. In summary and in fond reflection of my all-too-short life with Jack, I say that Jack lived the life that he and we now teach our entrepreneurs who come to Carnegie Mellon. Jack always said that we should be able to give an elevator pitch for our businesses, so here is my elevator pitch for Jack:

He found a significant problem, created a vision and a solution to solve that problem, and created value for his customers, i.e. students – value that is real, significant, different, and sustainable. Of course he developed a business model that enabled his vision. He articulated his vision, built a world-class team and acquired the necessary resources to execute his plan. He pursued his dream vigorously and with a complete passion even in the face of resistance to the change that he sought to bring about. Would you invest in this man – you bet I would!

That’s the way Jack led his life. He did it all, whether it was in industry or in academia. Those of us who are part of his legacy will now carry it forward. We are all better off for our relationship with Jack and able to accomplish what we seek today and tomorrow since we are in effect “standing on his shoulders.” Thanks Jack, we’ll never forget you. Yours is a life to remember and to emulate.