In Memoriam
John M. Ivancevich
(1939-2009)

The management discipline lost a creative thinker, an award-winning educator, an outstanding scholar, and a person of unrelenting energy and high integrity when John (Jack) M. Ivancevich passed away on October 26, 2009, at the age of 70 in Houston, Texas. A product of Chicago’s south side, Jack’s love of family and exceptional work ethic were shaped by the ethnic milieu that anchored his entire life.

    The author or co-author of 88 books and some 160 scientific articles, Jack had a passion for business education. Noted for his self-discipline, Jack always kept a notebook of projects at hand and tried to write at least 300 days a year, averaging 1200 words each day. He was proudest of his first textbook Organizations: Behavior, Structure, Processes, published in 1973 and now in its thirteenth edition.  

    Jack held a B.S. degree in Industrial Management from Purdue University, an MBA in Organizational Behavior and a DBA in Administrative Behavior and Organizational Analysis, both from the University of Maryland. After teaching at the University of Kentucky (1968-74), Jack joined the University of Houston faculty in 1974. He was named Chair of the UH Department of Organizational Behavior and Management in 1975, and Associate Dean for Research in 1976. Jack was awarded the Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Professor of Management, among the most prestigious positions at the University of Houston, in 1979. From 1988 to 1995, he served as Dean of the UH College of Business Administration. He was named UH Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost in 1995, a position he held for two years.

    While serving as dean, Jack continued to write and insisted on teaching at least one undergraduate course every year. He felt he learned more about what was happening in the UH College of Business Administration by teaching juniors and seniors than any by other method. Irked by administrators who bragged about not setting foot in the classroom for years and how their busy schedules kept them from publishing, as provost Jack required that all UH deans teach one course a year and held fast to the belief that every administrator should add to the body of knowledge in their respective disciplines by publishing. Needless to say, this did not make him popular with certain deans on campus.

    As a member of 80 doctoral and master’s committees, Jack relished his role as a mentor to students, as well as younger colleagues. He was perhaps most comfortable in the classroom, where his reputation as a tough teacher was softened by his appreciation for the need of many students to balance a desire for education with a full-time job and family demands. Among Jack’s most valued honors were the Ester Farfel Award for Research, Teaching, and Service Excellence, the highest honor bestowed to a UH faculty member, and being named a Fellow of the Academy of Management in 1977.

    A self-described “hard-core Type A,” Jack could at times be impatient and was especially intolerant of broken promises made by faculty and administrators to complete a project. A “can do” person, Jack had an infectious enthusiasm, zest for life, and upbeat spirit that was sadly shortened by a long battle with cancer. He dealt with his illness the same way he approached living –  taking it head on, fully aware of his own mortality, while fully enjoying his wife and children, and spoiling his grandchildren. He fought until the end and will be sorely missed by all those fortunate to have been touched by his warm friendship.

    Jack is survived by his wife of 37 years, Margaret (Pegi) Karsner Ivancevich; son Daniel and wife Susan; daughter Jill and husband David Zacha, Jr.; and grandchildren Kathryn Diane and Amanda Dana Ivancevich, and Hunter David Michael, Hailey Dana, and Hannah Marie Zacha. Jack was preceded in death by his beloved daughter Dana, and by his first wife, Diane Frances Murphy Ivancevich. Memorials may be directed to the Dana Louise Ivancevich Memorial Scholarship Fund – Texas Christian University; Attn: Victor J. Boschini, Jr, Chancellor; TCU Box 297080, Fort Worth, Texas 76129-7080 or NSDAR –  Dana’s Children Fund at Hindman Settlement School, Kentucky; Attn: Carolina Camargo, Development Director; 1776 D Street N. W., Washington, DC 2006-5303.
 
Arthur G. Bedeian
Louisiana State University