Jack L. Copeland

Jack L. Copeland DIMMITT-Jack L. Copeland was born in Dimmitt, Texas, on Nov. 28, 1934. In his eighty years Jack lived an interesting life in fields ranging from sports to energy, finance and politics while being a loyal and devoted father to his two children. He passed away on Jan. 26, 2016, at his home in Acapulco, Mexico. Jack was a 1952 graduate of Dimmitt High School. He graduated from Hardin-Simmons University where he was head trainer. While at Hardin Simmons he befriended and worked with football great and hall of famer Sammy Baugh. He then joined the training staff at Ohio State University before moving into professional sports. Copeland was the first trainer of the New York Titans which later became the New York Jets. Following his time with the Titans, he returned to Ohio State where he received both a Graduate of physical therapy and an MBA. He made significant contributions in advancing the training profession to where it is today. Jack then entered the field of finance, joining the Wall Street investment bank Morgan Stanley in 1967. He specialized in financing in the energy industry. In 1981 Copeland left Morgan Stanley to start his own firm, Copeland Consulting. He assembled a vast array of international clients and had an outstanding list of contacts on three continents. Perhaps his stellar achievement was in parlaying these contacts into the Sakhalin project during the dying days of the Soviet Union. One of the leading international collaborative energy efforts of the time, Sakhalin combined the professional expertise of Exxon with the natural resources of Sakhalin Island and the financial wherewithal of Japan. The project is today a major provider of hydrocarbons to Japan. Copeland pioneered the first pre-packaged bankruptcy in 1986. This eased the process or refinancing and recovery of a firm by providing certainty to creditors. It was an innovation that became widespread and benefited the American economy for decades to follow. In 1983 Jack was asked to lecture on the Geopolitics of Oil at St. Andrews University, Scotland. He was recognized by St. Andrews where he was named an Honorary Professor. Mr. Copeland is survived by his son, William B. Copeland, and was preceded in death by his daughter, Robin J. Copeland.