J. Erik Jonsson papers

A Guide to the Collection

Biographical Note

John Erik Jonsson was born in Brooklyn, New York, on September 6, 1901, the only child of John Peter and Ellen Charlotte (Palmquist) Jonsson. His parents were naturalized citizens, having independently immigrated to the United States from Sweden in the 1890s. In 1912 the family moved to Montclair, New Jersey, where at age sixteen Jonsson graduated from Montclair High School. He completed a mechanical engineering degree at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, in 1922. On February 8, 1923, Jonsson married Margaret Fonde in Knoxville, Tennessee; they had three children, Philip, Kenneth, and Margaret.

Jonsson began his career at Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) as a rolling-mill apprentice in 1922, and advanced to manufacturing superintendent of the Aluminum Index Company (an Alcoa subsidiary), a position he held from 1923 to 1927. After a brief departure into the auto business, 1927-1929, he returned to Alcoa as a sales engineer. During Jonsson’s last year at Alcoa, John Clarence Karcher, the husband of Mrs. Jonsson’s cousin, occasionally asked for Jonsson’s assistance with expediting materials orders for his start-up company, Geophysical Service. In June 1930 Karcher offered Jonsson a job managing the manufacture of seismic instruments at the company lab in Newark, New Jersey, and in July Jonsson again left Alcoa. In 1934 he moved to Dallas as secretary of Geophysical Service.

While in Texas, Jonsson’s work assignments for GSI increased in responsibility and included secretary, 1934-39; secretary-treasurer, 1939-42; and vice president and treasurer, 1942-51. In 1951 a new name was chosen for the parent company, Texas Instruments, with GSI as a subsidiary and Jonsson continued to play a major role in Texas Instruments as president, 1951-58; chairman of the board, 1958-66; and honorary chairman, 1966-77.

During Jonsson’s time with Texas Instruments he became involved with civic activities, and at a time when many retire, Jonsson was increasing his civic and community involvement. He participated in a wide range of community organizations, holding leadership positions in the Dallas Chamber of Commerce, the Dallas Citizens Council, and the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. He was a tireless advocate for education, serving or leading the boards of nearly a dozen educational institutions and forming partnerships to improve local educational facilities. Jonsson was also a founder of the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies, from which the University of Texas at Dallas was created in 1969.

Jonsson served as the mayor of Dallas from 1964 to 1971, and worked to improve the image and morale of the city in the wake of the Kennedy assassination. He was a key leader in the development of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, serving as chairman of the project from 1968 to 1976. Jonsson proposed a pioneer urban goal-setting program, Goals for Dallas, in 1964, and he served in the positions of chairman of the board (1965-1976) and chairman emeritus (1976-92). Jonsson received numerous honors and awards during his life, including ten honorary doctorates between 1959 and 1973. Jonsson died on September 1, 1995, in Dallas.

John Erik Jonsson

Born: Brooklyn, New York, September 6, 1901

Married: Margaret Fonde (1902-84) February 8, 1923

(3 children) Philip, Kenneth, Margaret

Died: Dallas, TX, September 1, 1995

Education

1918 Montclair High School, Montclair, NJ

Earned Degrees

1922 ME Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

Honorary Degrees

1959 Doctor of Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

1961 Doctor of Science, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY

1963 Doctor of Science, Austin College, Sherman, TX

1964 Doctor of Laws, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX

1968 Doctor of Civil Laws, University of Dallas, Irving, TX

1972 Doctor of Laws, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Doctor of Laws, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY

1973 Doctor of Humane Letters, Oklahoma Christian College, Oklahoma City, OK

1981 Doctor of Science, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA

1984 Doctor of Engineering, Polytechnic University, New York, NY

Professional Experience

1922-23 Aluminum Company of America, (ALCOA) Tennessee Rolling Mill Apprentice

1923-27 Aluminum Index Company, New Jersey, an ALCOA subsidiary manufacturing Superintendent

1927-29 Dumont Motor Car Company, Inc., NJ Vice President and the President of Oakland Pontiac Automobile Distributorship

1929-30 Aluminum Company of America, NJ Sales Engineer

1930-41 Geophysical Service, Dallas TX (Predecessor company of Texas Instruments Incorporated)

1930-34 Superintendent of the Laboratory, Newark NJ

1934-39 Secretary

1939-42 Secretary and Treasurer

1941-51 Geophysical Service Inc. (GSI), Dallas TX

1942-51 Vice President and Treasurer

1951-82 Texas Instruments Incorporated, Dallas TX

1951-58 President

1958-66 Chairman of the Board

1966-77 Honorary Chairman

1981-1985 Member, Advisory Council to Board of Directors

1977-82 Honorary Director

Educational Affiliations

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – Troy, NY Member and honorary Chairman, Board of Trustees

Lamplighter School – Dallas, TX Chairman 1967-84 Honorary Chairman of the Board

Academy for Educational Development – New York, NY Former Director, (and former Chairman of its Educational Facilities Laboratories Division)

University of Dallas – Irving, TX 91971-79) Former Member, Board of Trustees

Skidmore College – Saratoga Springs, NY (1960-77) Former Member, Board of Visitors (formerly Chairman)

Tulane University – New Orleans, LA (1962-77) Former Member, Board of Visitors (formerly Chairman)

Austin College – Sherman, TX (1966-77) Former Member, Board of Trustees

The Hockaday School – Dallas, TX Honorary Member, Board of Trustees (Chairman, 1954-64)

Foundation for the Callier Center and Communication Disorders – Dallas, TX Trustee Emeritus

Governor’s Committee (Texas) on Education Beyond the High School – (1963-64) Member

Southwest Research Institute – San Antonio, TX (1972) Member, Board of Trustees

Professional Affiliations

Republic of Texas Corporation or RepublicBank Dallas – Dallas, TX (now NationsBank) Director 1954-80

The Equitable Life Assurance Society of America – Director 1958-73

Dallas Power & Light Company – Dallas, TX Director 1955-64

Neiman Marcus Co. – Dallas, TX Director 1956-65

Civic Activities

City of Dallas, TX – Mayor, 1964-71

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport – Chairman of the Board (1968-76)

Goals for Dallas – Dallas, TX Chairman (1956-76), Chairman Emeritus (1976-1992)

Excellence in Education Foundation – Dallas, TX President (1961-92)

United Way of Metropolitan Dallas – Dallas, TX Ex-Officio Member, Board of Directors President (1961->62)

Southwestern Medical Foundation Board of Trustees – Dallas, TX Honorary Member

Board of Trustees, Dallas Symphony Orchestra – Dallas, TX Honorary Member

Board of Trustees, Southwestern Legal Foundation – Dallas, TX Honorary Member

Other Affiliations

American Newcomen Society – Member

Philosophical Society of Texas – Member

Society of Exploration Geophysicists – Member

American Management Association – Life Member, Vice President, General Management Division (1959-69) Member, Board of Directors (1958-64) Executive Committee (1962-64)

The Conference Board – New York, NY Councilor, Former Member, Board of Directors

Academy of Texas – Member

National Academy of Engineering – Member

Social Affiliations

Dallas Petroleum Club, Dallas, TX

Brook Hollow Golf Club, Dallas, TX

City Club, Dallas, TX

Honors and Awards

1960 Linz Award

1962 Dallas Man of the Year

1963 Dallas Press Club Headliner Award

1964 American Society of Metals Advancement of Research Award

1965 Society of Industrial Realtors Industrialist of the Year Award

1966 Southwestern Legal Foundation Great Leaders Award

1967 Honorary Member, American Institute of Architects

1967 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Distinguished Service Award

1968 Henry Lawrence Gantt Medal (American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Management Association)

1969 Horatio Alger Award

1970 Hoover Medal (American Society of Civil Engineers; American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers; American Society of Mechanical engineers; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)

1971 Dallas Junior Bar Association Liberty Bell Award

1972 B’Nai B’Rith Humanitarianism Award

Rose Hulman Institute of Technology Chauncey Rose Medal

Tau Beta Pi, Rose Hulman Institute of Technology Chapter Honorary Member

1974 National Academy of Engineering Founders Medal

1975 Junior Achievement Hall of Fame for Business Leadership Award

1977 University of Texas Santa Rita Award

1979 American Society of Mechanical Engineers Honorary Member

Babson College Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs Award

1980 American Society of Swedish Engineers John Ericsson Award

Swedish Council of America great Swedish Heritage Award

Texas Library Association Philanthropic Award

1983 Semiconductor Equipment & Material Institute (SEMI) Presidential Citation Award

Swedish American of the Year

Texas Business Hall of Fame

1989 American Institute of Architects, Dallas Chapter, The George Foster Harrell Award

J. C. Penney Lone Star Lifestyle Visionary Award

Rotary Club of Dallas Paul Harris Fellowship Award

1990 UCLA School of Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award

1993 Southwestern Medical Foundation Community Service Award

Publications

"Of Time and the Cities" (Gantt Medal Address, 1968), published in 1969 by the Gantt Medal Board of Award

"Avalanche: The Cities and The Seventies" (Henry Robinson Towne Lecture, 1968), published in Mechanical Engineering, June 1969

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The collection, consisting of 170 boxes, is composed of primarily paper records pertaining to J. Erik Jonsson. The collection is organized in 12 series by order of importance to the collection based on the amount of material pertaining to each series. The series are as follows from the most to the least amount of material: mayoral papers, civic affiliations, personal papers, Texas Instruments (TI), Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), photographs, Dumont Car Company, speeches, retirement, artifacts, audio-visual, and plaques. Almost half of the collection relates to the time J. Erik Jonsson was mayor of Dallas, Texas (1964-1971).

The first, and largest, series is mayoral papers and contains four subseries. 1) Clippings consist of newspaper clippings that chronicle Jonsson’s career as mayor. They are mainly from the Dallas Morning News and the Dallas Times Herald regarding the major topics of All-American City, city council, city hall, civil rights, crossroads (bonds), Dallas, DFW airport, elections, Goals for Dallas, police and firemen pension plan, taxes, and war on poverty. 2) Correspondence includes city attorney memos, city crank letters, city manager memos, complaints, honorary citizenship certificates, mayor business, mayor correspondence, proclamations, and welcomes. The city attorney and city manager memos are in their original numbered arrangement. The sets are complete with the city attorney memos 000-704 and the city manager memos 0001-2575. The memo files include all action taken in relation to them. Subjects of this correspondence are the everyday business of the mayor. This includes incoming and outgoing correspondence and telephone messages as well as any request for service provided by the city. The mayor business files include student letters asking for information. The files reflect what was happening in Dallas and the nation at the time. Topics of some of the letters include Vietnam, racial tensions, and opinions on current city policies. Also of interest is a folder of correspondence received from celebrities. These celebrity letters are described at the item level. 3) Speeches are listed by title or occasion and include speeches, correspondence, drafts, notes, and programs. 4) The subject files are the largest part of the series and cover a wide variety of topics including calendars, new city hall building, Goals for Dallas, invitations, mayor files, Press Club of Dallas Griddle (newspaper) and Gridiron Dinner programs (1957-1978), telephone logs, bonds, interviews, and urban development. Types of material included in the subject files are mainly correspondence and memoranda. It also includes clippings, brochures, reports, articles, and various other types of material to a lesser degree. Some subjects in this series relate to the City of Dallas and span a date range larger than the time Jonsson was mayor, yet they concern topics addressed during his time as mayor and so have been included here.

The second series, civic affiliations, contains five subseries. 1) Awards contain material relating to the award, mainly correspondence, programs, articles, speeches, clippings, invitations and various other types of material to a lesser degree. Some of the congratulatory correspondence contains signatures of prominent Dallas and national figures. 2) Certificates contain the certificates themselves and cover educational institutions and civic organizations. 3) Education consists of various institutions from early education to universities, including Austin College, Educational Facilities Laboratories, Hockaday, Lamplighter, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Skidmore College, and University of Texas at Dallas. Types of material include brochures, reports, correspondence, and clippings. This group of files provides examples of Jonsson’s activities and support, both financially and by participation on boards and committees. 4) Politics include city, state, and national affiliations. Topics include campaigns, elections, and political fund raising. Materials consist mainly of correspondence and campaign materials. 5) Subject files include civic and community organization activity. Major topics are American Management Association, Baylor University Medical Center, Braniff, Dallas Figure Skating Club, Dallas Public Library, Junior Achievement, Knights of the Round Table Club, and National Academy of Engineering. Types of material include mainly correspondence with clippings, brochures, reports, articles, and various other types of material to a lesser degree.

The third series, personal papers, contains seven subseries. 1) Certificates include Erik Jonsson’s high school and college degrees. 2) Correspondence consists of letters to and from home during his college days and early career with ALCOA. It also includes two folders of Swedish correspondence and various family correspondence. 3) Financial records include tax and insurance information. A small amount of information regarding both Erik and Margaret Jonsson’s bankruptcies is included. Types of material consist of correspondence, policies, and receipts. 4) The Margaret Jonsson subseries includes 21 folders of Dallas Garden Center and Flower Show material. Types of material include correspondence, clippings, and reports and items relating to the treasurer. This subseries also contains a small amount of material on Margaret Jonsson’s civic activities. 5) Retirement correspondence includes varied general correspondence. Some correspondents are prominent Dallas and Texas citizens. 6) Scrapbook includes business, civic, educational, and political affiliations. It consists mainly of clippings with some correspondence, photographs, and programs. 7) Major topics in the subject files include material relating to the family, ALCOA, cards, invitations to various functions, biographical information, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a small stamp collection. Types of material include mainly correspondence with clippings, brochures, reports, articles, and various other types of material to a lesser degree.

The fourth series, Texas Instruments, contains four subseries. 1) Certificates given to Jonsson when he retired. 2) Correspondence concerning Texas Instruments. 3) Speeches consist of various functions including civic activities. Types of materials include speeches, programs, correspondence and notes. 4) Subject files include advertisements, annual reports, calculators, Dallasite, buildings, and Texas Instruments History manuscript. The subject files also include Geophysical Service Inc. (GSI) general business correspondence and the GSI Grapevine newsletter.

The fifth series, DFW Airport, contains four subseries. 1) Board includes agendas, correspondence, and minutes. 2) Committees include mainly the construction, finance, operations, and retirement committees. Types of material include agendas, minutes, and reports. 3) Correspondence also includes some reports. 4) Subject files include the major topics of Airtrans, budget, Civil Aeronautics Board, construction plans, dedication, history, inter-airport transit, legal and financial information, and TAMMS. Types of material include mainly correspondence with clippings, brochures, reports, articles, and various other types of material to a lesser degree.

The sixth series, photographs, contains two subseries, awards and subject files. The photographs consist of family photos, civic, business, and educational affiliations including Dallas Public Library, DFW Airport, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Skidmore College, Texas Instruments, and the University of Dallas. Types of material include photographs, negatives, slides and correspondence. Some photographs were identified by using the collection and the internet and then filed by subject.

The seventh series, Dumont Car Company, contains two subseries. 1) Financial records include account books, general business correspondence, ledgers, and receipts. The receipts consist of businesses the car company dealt with. 2) Subject files include articles of incorporation and purchaser’s statements. The purchaser’s statements contain demographic information of buyers in New Jersey in the late 1920’s. Types of material include credit applications, car orders, receipts, and correspondence.

The eighth series is speeches. The speech files contain speeches, articles, programs and correspondence. Each speech is listed by title and date in the folder contents description. Jonsson gave all of these speeches between 1954-1990. This series had no original order and was arranged by date by the archivist.

The ninth series, retirement, contains two subseries, speeches and subject files. Types of material include mainly speeches and correspondence from 1971-1981 and includes signatures from prominent Dallas and national figures.

The tenth series, artifacts contains 92 items including coins, hard hats, keys to the City of Dallas, medals, paper weights, and playing cards with various company logos. The description includes the dimensions of the item.

The eleventh series, audio-visual, consists of various types of media regarding business, civic, educational, and political affiliations. Topics include speeches, awards, city hall, Conversation with Erik Jonsson interview, Goals for Dallas, phone conversations, and Texas Instruments. It includes phonograph records recorded by Jonsson talking about his early life, college, marriage and early work experiences and people.

The twelfth series, plaques, contains items including the Linz Award and the National Business Hall of Fame Award. The description includes the full inscription on the plaque and the dimensions of the item.

Restrictions

Access to Collection:

Collection is open for research use.

Publication Rights:

Permission to publish materials must be obtained from the Director of the DeGolyer Library.

Copyright Statement:

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain copyright authorization.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

J. Erik Jonsson papers, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University.

Acquisition Information

Gift, children of J. Erik Jonsson: Margaret Jonsson Rogers, Philip Raymond Jonsson, and Kenneth A. Jonsson, 1998.

Processing Information

The collection was received in several installments from Erik Jonsson’s office. Material was in file cabinets and boxes. The original order of boxes 1-87 was maintained. Most of the correspondence is in roughly reverse chronological order and subjects are filed alphabetically. The remaining boxes had no original order, with dates and subjects jumbled. The archivist imposed the current arrangement by sorting materials into series and subseries. These files are organized in chronological and alphabetical order.

Material that did not relate directly to Erik Jonsson or his activities was weeded out, including duplicate materials, totaling 15 boxes (15 cu. ft.). Books were separated and cataloged in the DeGolyer collection (176 items). The box and folder list originally came from four FileMaker Pro 4 databases, which were converted to Excel spreadsheets.

Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Hinton, February 2001.

Finding aid revised by

Paul Santa Cruz, 2009.

Encoded by

Lara Corazalla, 2008-2009.

Detailed Description of the Collection