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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The city of Houston lost an admired philanthropist |
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and businessman with the death of James Lee Ketelsen on April 27, |
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2017, at the age of 86; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Davenport, Iowa, on November 14, 1930, Jim |
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Ketelsen was the son of Ernest and Helen Ketelsen; after graduating |
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from Northwestern University, he was commissioned as an officer in |
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the U.S. Navy and served aboard the USS Hunt during the Korean War; |
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he married Joan Velde and they became the parents of a son, James, |
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and a daughter, Lee; following the death of Mrs. Ketelsen, he was |
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fortunate to find love a second time with the former Kathryn Lloyd, |
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and they shared a fulfilling marriage that spanned 29 years; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Ketelsen began his career as a CPA in the |
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Chicago office of Price Waterhouse; in 1959, he was appointed |
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assistant comptroller of J. I. Case Company, and he rose to become |
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president when he was only 36 years old; after Case was acquired by |
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Tenneco, he was named CEO and chair and led the multi-industry |
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corporation until 1992; he became one of the first business |
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executives to fully recognize the importance of a healthy workforce |
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and built a state-of-the-art fitness center for employees; |
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moreover, he set an example of wellness as an avid runner, and he |
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initiated Tenneco's sponsorship of the Houston Marathon; and |
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WHEREAS, Deeply committed to the community, Mr. Ketelsen |
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gave employees paid time off for volunteerism, and he established |
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Project GRAD, a four-year scholarship program at Davis High School |
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that soon quadrupled its rate of college enrollment; following his |
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retirement, he and his wife Kathryn built on that success by |
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expanding Project GRAD to improve college readiness with a set of |
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comprehensive interventions in earlier grades; he then applied his |
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business acumen to the task of scaling up the initiative, and it |
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became an influential model that was adopted across the country; |
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the Houston Independent School District paid tribute to his efforts |
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in 2002 by opening James L. Ketelsen Elementary School, where the |
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children welcomed the frequent visits of their beloved "Mr. K."; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Ketelsen benefited higher education as a regent |
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of the University of Houston System and a trustee of Northwestern |
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University; he was a member of the Texas Business and Education |
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Coalition, the Texas Head Start Collaboration Task Force, and the |
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State Board of Education Task Force on Early Childhood and |
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Elementary Education, and he chaired the Texas 2000 State |
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Coordinating Team; in addition, he helped raise funds to build the |
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Wortham Theater, and he played a key role in the development of |
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Sesquicentennial Park; among numerous other leadership roles, he |
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was a trustee of the Houston Grand Opera Association and the Texas |
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Heart Institute; he also shared his expertise as a director of such |
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firms as Sara Lee Corporation, GTE Corporation, and J. P. Morgan & |
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Company; and |
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WHEREAS, Although Jim Ketelsen's death has brought great |
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sorrow to his loved ones, his remarkable record of civic engagement |
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will remain a source of inspiration, and his exceptional |
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contributions will continue to resonate for years to come; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of James Ketelsen and |
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extend sincere condolences to all who mourn his passing; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of James |
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Ketelsen. |