The Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame is proud to announce four new members into its 2016 class of inductees: Richard C. Brown, Jim D. Johnson, Jack Sweeney and H. C. Zachry. Each of these distinguished honorees have made significant contributions to the advertising industry and in their community. In addition, this year’s Governor’s Award is being given to Lopez Negrete Communications of Houston.
The Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Tenth District of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), encompassing Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. An induction ceremony and dinner recognizing the ninth class of the Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame will be held Saturday, June 25, 2016 at the Doubletree Hotel in Dallas, Texas. More information can be found at aaf10.org/events.
The 2016 inductees include:
Richard C. Brown (deceased) of Dallas.
During his 25 years at Tracy/Locke, Brown managed a wide variety of accounts: Maryland Club and Admiration Coffee, Wolf Brand Chili, Gladiola Flour, Light Crust Flour, Mahatma and Water Maid Rice, Comet and Adolphus Rice, Imperial Sugar, Mrs. Baird’s Bread, Igloo Ice Chests, Astroworld, Country Cupboard Pies, Texas International Airlines, Fred’s Barbeque and Tom Thumb supermarkets. He also worked with Texas Rangers Baseball Club, Pearl Beer, Volkswagen, Borden and Herfy’s Hamburgers.
After all those years of service to Tracy/Locke, in 1981, he founded Brown Communications, Inc., a Dallas advertising and public relations company where he had continued success for over 30 years. Brown was also a strong supporter of the Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame, having nominated a number of its inductees.
Jim D. Johnson of Little Rock, AR.
Considered an icon in the adverting and art worlds of Arkansas, Johnson and his work have been honored nationally and globally. In 1961, he co-founded Cranford/Johnson, Inc. with fellow Hall of Fame inductee Wayne Cranford. The agency grew to become Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods, the state’s largest advertising agency, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2011.
Professionally, Johnson designed the 1993 Presidential Inaugural Program, as well as logos for the State of Arkansas, the Soviet/American Women’s Exchange Program, the Save Old Main Campaign at the University of Arkansas, Volunteers in Public Schools, Keep Arkansas Beautiful, the Arkansas Arts Center and many others. In 1994, Johnson was awarded the AAF Silver Medal for career contributions and service. He also received a Special Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arkansas Arts Council.
Jack Sweeney of Houston.
After holding positions with the Boston Herald, Trenton (New Jersey) Times and the Washington Post, Sweeney joined the Houston Chronicle in 1980 as advertising director. He later advanced to serve as director of sales and marketing, vice president of sales and marketing, vice president and general manager, president and associate publisher. In 2000, Sweeney became the paper’s publisher and president.
He is a member of the Newspaper Association of America, a past director of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association and received the association’s 2000 Texas Newspaper Leader of the Year Award. Sweeney currently serves on the Board of Central Houston, The Opportunity 14 Development Council of the Houston Community College Foundation, the board of the United Way of Greater Houston, and chaired the annual United Way Drive in 2002 and the Greater Houston Partnership board of directors. He is a past director of the Better Business Bureau, Houston International Festival and Houston Symphony.
H. C. Zachry of Abilene.
Zachry founded Zachry Associates, Abilene’s largest and most respected advertising agency, in 1970. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to open additional communication businesses over the years, including Zachry Publications, a statewide magazine and directory publishing and conference management company. Mail Advertising Corporation and Paper Tiger Printing of Abilene also were started and developed by Zachry and subsequently sold. Zachry also is founding partner of Caswell, Zachry, Grizzard of Dallas, an endowment development company for national charitable organizations.
Among the clients served by Zachry are the American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Boeing Company subsidiary Aviall, Baylor Healthcare System, Buckner Retirement Services, Ebaa Iron, Essilor (the world’s leading provider of eyeglass lenses), First Financial Bankshares; Michelin, Retalix USA (provider of integrated software solutions for the food, fuel, and consumer goods retail and distribution industries), Rolls Royce, Spirit Aerosystems, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, United Supermarkets and The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
Zachry also is a nationally renowned painter, with his works being owned by several hundred individuals and corporations across the United States.
Governor’s Award
The AAF Tenth District’s Annual Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame “Governor’s Award” is presented to the advertising agency, who during it’s years of service, has distinguished itself through work produced on behalf of clients, who has contributed to the betterment of advertising and its reputation, and who has made volunteer efforts outside the workplace.
This year’s award winner, Lopez Negrete Communications, is one of the great Hispanic ad agencies in the country. They’ve produced award-winning work for clients throughout the country. Their vision is to “bridge the gap between corporate America and the Hispanic consumer with communications that empower each of them to achieve their goals.”
The Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame was created by the Tenth District of the American Advertising Federation to honor men and women from the region who have distinguished themselves. Inductees need not be a member of the AAF Tenth District. Inductees will automatically be nominated for the National Advertising Hall of Fame as they become eligible.
“What a great group of individuals to include in this Hall of Fame. Without a doubt, these inductees have set a high standard of excellence for our advertising industry and for civic leadership,” said Randy Kemp, co-chair, Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame.
About the Tenth District of the American Advertising Federation
The Tenth District of the American Advertising Federation represents the affiliate advertising clubs and federations of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) in Arkansas, Western Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The AAF is the only national grassroots trade association to encompass all segments of the advertising industry, including advertisers, agencies, corporate marketing departments, broadcast and print media companies, industry suppliers, college chapters and national trade associations engaged in various advertising pursuits.
