Jack E. Denton

Denton, Jack E.
89, prominent for many years in Arizona tourism after a career with Mountain Bell in Arizona and New Mexico, died after a brief illness on Aug. 26 in Thunderbird Hospital in Glendale. He had resided in Phoenix, for more than 50 years. His memorial service will be at the First United Methodist Church, 7102 N. 58th Drive, Glendale, at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11. At his request, Mr. Denton has been cremated. Mr. Denton was born on May 14, 1923, near Artesia, N.M., the youngest of seven children of Robina Campbell Denton and Herschel A. Denton. He began his career with the telephone company at 18 in northern New Mexico. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and because of his experience in telephone construction, he was assigned to the U.S. Coast Guard in which he served from November 1942 to February 1946. He worked to enhance communications systems along with west coast of the United States and later in "wiring" the secret project in southern New Mexico now known as White Sands Missle Range. After military service, he returned to telephone company construction in New Mexico and later transferred to Arizona where he became head of construction, from which he retired. He and his late wife, Christine Lantz Denton, purchased a small campground outside of Flagstaff in 1967 as a family project and began its expansion and modernization with the help of the late Jerry Sanders and his wife Corky. It became the current large Flagstaff/Grand Canyon KOA and Corky is the active retired general manager. The most recent of many awards garnered by the Flagstaff KOA was last November when Mr. Denton and general manager Janyel Pitman received the 2011 President's Award at the national KOA convention in Las Vegas for "outstanding participation in the KOA Kamp Green Program, recognition of facilities and overall campground excellence by Kampgrounds of America and Woodall's Camping Directory Top 100 in the United States." He received the Pioneering Award of the National Campgrounds of America twice and served one term as national president of the KOA Association. He was known as "Father of Logo Signage" in Arizona's tourism industry and tenaciously promoted information for the highway-traveling tourist in Arizona and New Mexico through the Route 66 associations, and nationally through America Byways/Scenic Highways association. He was a charter member of the state board and an officer in Arizona Campground Owners Association for 30 years, beginning in 1975. He worked with the Arizona Legislature to have Scenic Byways in Arizona and across the country and also in creating Welcome Centers in Arizona. He worked closely with the Arizona Legislature on tourism issues for many years. He was active in the AT&T Telephone Pioneers of America, Rotary International and the American Legion. Mr. Denton is survived by a son, Jerry Denton; daughter, Robin Denton, granddaughter, Jessica Jean Denton; many nephews and nieces, and close friends including Mary Smith, Gina and Mike France and their children, Michaela and Adam, Vince
Harder and Sheri Armer, all of the Phoenix area.