James Rutter Jack

James Rutter "Bud" Jack, 81, passed away February 9, 2000 at University of Utah Medical Center of Lung and Heart Failure, and other Diabetes related illnesses. He had been ill only a short time. Bud was born May 6, 1918 in Salt Lake City to James E. and May Rutter Jack. He was graduated from Granite High School and then The University of Utah where he affiliated with Pi Kappa Alpha. He did graduate work at Northwestern and the U of U. In 1944, he married Ila Coon. They shared 48 years together before her death in 1993. Never was there a Utah team more recognized and cherished on every level of the global sports village. Their two daughters, Sharee Jack Gallivan and Wendy Jack-Alvarado live in Salt Lake City. Bud served in the South Pacific during World War II, as a Lt. and navigator in the United States Navy. Bud was the consummate Utah Man, sir. He devoted 40 years of his professional life to The University of Utah, as Athletic Ticket and Business Manager, Assistant Athletic Director, 17 years as director of Collegiate Athletics, and then as assistant Vice President for Athletic Development. At the same time he was Athletic Director, Bud also served four years as Director of Development Foundations, three years as Director of Performing Arts, and he was Business Manager of the University of Utah Summer Festivals that produced Broadway musicals in the football stadium. It was the source of his life-long love of the New York stage. Bud never met a lyric he didn't like, nor any that he ever forgot. But it was in athletics where he was to make his most lasting contributions, not only the competitive levels he achieved for the U, but also in the loving relationships he and Ila created for the University and for themselves. He started women's scholarship athletics at Utah after seeing the success of women's gymnastics at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. The first modern renovation of Ute stadium came about because of Bud's development and stewardship of the University's first million-dollar gift from Bob Rice. What is now the Jon M. Huntsman Center exists as one of the country's great college basketball arenas because of Bud Jack's vision, cultivation, development and design oversight. It may have been his proudest achievement, which he crowned by bringing the 1979 NCAA Final Four Men's Basketball Championship to his beloved University. Bud's contribution to national athletics was no less an accomplishment. He was a founder of the Western Athletic Conference. He chaired the NCAA Extra Events (Bowl) Committee, 1961-65. He was President of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in 1971-72. In 1984, Bud was decorated with NACDA's highest honor, the James J. Corbett Award, along with an Honorary Doctorate from the United States Sports Academy. He has been inducted into The National Athletic Directors Hall of Fame, The Utah Sports Hall of Fame, The Crimson Club Hall of Fame and The Granite High School Alumni Hall of Fame. Bud would say that's a lot of halls. Bud spent 17 years in the Olympic family, starting as the NCAA representative on the board of the USOC. He was U.S. Chairman of Transportation for all of the Olympic Games and the Pan American Games between 1971 and 1980. His challenges varied from secreting Mark Spitz out of Munich after winning seven gold medals, to finding aircraft with restrooms that would accommodate a 410-pound Greco-Roman wrestler. For the 1980 Olympic Games, Bud was appointed Chef de' Mission (Chief of Mission) of the U.S. delegation. (The U.S. team did not attend these games in Moscow, following our government's advice to boycott.) Ask him about his real Chief Mission, however, and Bud would show you it was his role as father, grandfather and friend. He was passionate about all three. He was an absolutely charming man who dearly loved his children and grandchildren. They were especially close. And he was the most loyal, imaginative and fun friend. He was an important part of and a joy in so many people's lives. Bud is survived by his daughters; sons-in-law, Mickey Gallivan and Jorge Alvarado; and three grandchildren, Molly, Duffy and Meghan Gallivan. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, and sister, Ruth Fawson. A Celebration of Bud's life and Friends is scheduled for Monday, February 14th at 2 p.m. in the 4th-floor Scholarship Room of Rice Eccles Stadium, followed by Burial at Larkin Sunset Lawn. Friends may call Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Larkin Sunset Lawn, 2350 East 1300 South in Salt Lake. REST IN ETERNAL PEACE. ARTICLE ONE: Former Utah Athletic Director, USOC Official Jack Dies at 81 James R. "Bud" Jack, the athletic director at the University of Utah from 1958-76 and a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee from 1965-81, died Wednesday of causes related to age and diabetes. He was 81. Jack, a graduate of Granite High School and the University of Utah (1938), ushered in a women's collegiate athletic program at the university in 1975. He also was instrumental in planning and raising money for the Special Events Center (now the Huntsman Center), dedicated in 1969. The first major renovation of Ute Stadium took place under his watch in 1969, with the installation of artificial turf and the first scholarship box, made possible by a $1 million donation from Robert L. Rice. Jack joined the USOC in 1965, serving two four-year terms as the NCAA committee representative. "Most guys served just one term, but Bud was so exuberant for the work that he asked to serve two terms," said John Mooney, a former Salt Lake Tribune sports editor. He was chairman of transportation for four Olympics -- Sapporo and Munich in 1972 and Innsbruck and Montreal in 1972. He was appointed chief of the U.S. Mission for the 1980 Moscow Summer Games, which the United States eventually boycotted. Jack also served as chairman of transportation for the Pan Am Games in 1971 and 1975. He was chairman of food and housing for the World University Games in 1977. After graduation from the U., Jack taught English for one year at the Moroni High School in central Utah. He was the self-proclaimed composer of the Moroni High fight song. "He couldn't sing a lick," Mooney said. But he was a student of the theater. "On any road trip to New York, Bud would see a Broadway matinee in the afternoon and another one at night." Jack devoted almost three decades to Ute athletics. After serving as manager of student activities at the university from 1946-48, he became athletics ticket and business manager from 1948-52 and assistant athletic director under Jack Curtice from 1952-58. Jack was instrumental in formation of the Western Athletic Conference in 1962 and served on several conference committees, including chairing the radio and television committee, until his retirement. As a member of the NCAA extra events committee, Jack played a key role in landing the 1979 NCAA Tournament Final Four at the U. The Michigan State-Indiana State championship game with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird remains the highest-rated NCAA final in history. Jack received the Salt Lake Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau's Salty Seagull award for his role in attracting the NCAA event. Jack served as president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in 1971-72. He was inducted into the association's hall of fame in 1977. In 1984, he received the James J. Corbett Award, the association's highest honor. He was inducted into the Utah Sports Foundation Hall of Fame in 1983 and was inducted into Utah's Crimson Club Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1990, he received an Emeritus Alumni Association Merit of Honor from his alma mater. Jack, born May 6, 1918, was married to Ila Coon Jack for 48 years. She died in 1993. He is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Mickey (Sharee) Gallivan and Wendy Jack-Alvarado, and three grandchildren. A memorial service will be held Monday at 2 p.m. in the Scholarship Room of Rice-Eccles Stadium. Friends may call Sunday from 6-8 p.m. at Larkin Sunset Lawn, 2350 E. 1300 S. Burial will be at Larkin Sunset Lawn.