John Thornton "Jack" Currie

John Thornton "Jack" Currie passed away peacefully on Thursday, the 4th of July 2013. Jack was born on the 4th of August 1928 in Memorial Baptist Hospital in downtown Houston, the son of John Felix Currie and Irma Haxthausen Currie. He was a great grandson of Marcel and Isabella Haxthausen, publishers in Harris County in the late 19th Century of Texas Deutsche Zeitung, one of the principle German language newspapers in Texas in its day.

He attended Lamar High School in Houston and was graduated from The University of Texas in Austin with a B.A. in 1949 and a B.B.A. in 1950. He was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

Jack spent substantially all of his adult life in the investment securities business having started with Harris Upham and Company in Houston in 1950. Jack served in the United States Army from 1952 to 1954 and was honorably discharged as First Lieutenant. From 1955 to 1983 he was with the firm of Moroney, Beissner & Company in Houston which he headed for five years before it merged with the firm of Rotan Mosle in Houston in 1974. Jack very much enjoyed three tours abroad with the International Executive Service Corps of Stamford, Connecticut, a quasi governmental entity which locates retired American business people with entities abroad in which they offer assistance. His first tour was with the Muslim Commercial Bank in Karachi, Pakistan; the second with the Government of Lithuania in Vilnius, Lithuania and the third and last was with Capital Partners an investment bank in Bratislava, Slovakia. Jack served on the Boards of a group of public companies among which were Valero Energy in San Antonio; Key Pharmaceuticals in Miami; American Indemnity Financial Corporation of Galveston; Stewart & Stevenson Services in Houston; River Oaks Bank & Trust Co. of Houston and its successor, Compass Banks of Houston; and a family of publicly owned mutual funds managed by American National Insurance Company in Galveston. Jack served on the Development Boards of the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He served as a trustee of Holly Hall in Houston, on the Chancellor’s Council of The University of Texas system in Austin and was, for a number of years, a trustee of the Harris & Eliza Kempner Fund in Galveston. He was a former member of the Board of Governors of the Securities Industry Association of America, and a former District Director of the National Association of Securities Dealers.

Jack was predeceased by his wife of 45 years, Dorothy Peek Currie. He is survived by his children, Harriss Currie, and wife, Jay Ann, of Austin; and daughter, Tucker Currie Graef, of Grapevine, Texas. In addition, he is survived by grandchildren, Katie Currie of Austin, Will Graef of Canyon, Texas, Ashley Zeppelin Short, and husband, Adam, of Austin; and his dear friend and companion, Nancy Gardere, of Houston.

The family would like to express their immense gratitude for all of the love and devotion Jack was shown by his precious caregivers, Juventina Saavedra, Monique Swan, Pat Lipscomb, Celia Saavedra and Evon Moore.

A memorial service is to be conducted at two o’clock in the afternoon on Tuesday, the 9th of July, at St. Martins Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road in Houston.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family kindly requests contributions to be directed in Jack’s memory to Boys & Girls Country, 18806 Roberts Road, Hockley, TX, 77447; or to the Stark Diabetes Center, UTMB, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX, 77555.