John Penson

John Gordon Penson (Jack) was born in Dorchester, Dorset, England, to George and Ada Penson in 1920. Brought to the U.S. before he was a year old, he grew up on Long Island, New York. After graduating from St. Paul's School, he was awarded the Long Island Harvard Club scholarship. At Harvard, he captained the soccer team, played varsity basketball, and was elected President of the Undergrad Athletic Council. Five days before graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Field Artillery. After four years active duty and fifteen months service in Europe, he retired as a Major. In 1943, Jack married Nancy Elizabeth Penn. Following the war, the two moved to Boston where Jack attended Harvard Business School, and received his M.B.A. Two years later, they moved to New York City and Jack was employed by investment banking firm Glore, Forgan on Wall Street. In 1949, the couple came to Dallas where Jack worked for Schneider, Bernet, and Hickman, and then founded Spar Investment Counsel and later, Penson Properties, an oil and gas production company. He would become a founding member and first Chairman of The Chapel of the Cross. Jack was President of the Episcopal Foundation of Dallas for 16 years, and a Trustee of the Zale Lipshy University Hospital and Gaston Hospital Foundations. He was Chairman of the Palmer Drug Abuse Program of Dallas, and was named Jubilee History Maker along with Nancy by the Dallas Historical Society. His devotion to his three daughters' education resulted to his being named a Life Trustee of The Hockaday School. Jack was a member of the Dallas Country Club, the Dallas Petroleum Club, the Harvard Club of Dallas, and the Harvard Business School Club of Dallas. He was an avid tennis player, as well as a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan. Jack passed away at his home, on September 26th, 2014, at the age of 94. Jack is survived by his daughters, Annie Vreeland, Suki Jarzemsky (and husband Paul) and Read Gendler (and husband Steve), as well as his grandchildren, Nico Vreeland, Alex Jarzemsky, Elizabeth Watson (and husband Josh), John Jarzemsky, and Hilary Vreeland.