Henry B. Sargent Jr.

1934 - 2016

Sargent, Henry B. Jr.
Henry B. Sargent, Jr., who quietly played key roles in the redevelopment of downtown Phoenix and in fostering the arts community in Arizona, died at his home on Thursday, January 28. He was 81. Henry Barry Sargent, Jr. was born on July 19, 1934, in Jackson, Mississippi, to Henry Barry Sargent and Grace Richmond Sargent, and grew up there with his younger brother, William C. Sargent. In 1946, after the war, his father was recruited to head Central Arizona Light and Power Company (later Arizona Public Service). He got the shock of his life his first day at the Madison School in Phoenix when he was teased unmercifully for his Southern accent. Realizing it was a great impediment, he set about losing it as quick as he could. At North Phoenix High School he played varsity football his sophomore and junior years. "I played just enough football to distinguish myself a little, and that helped my social life greatly," he once wrote. He attended Stanford University and the University of Arizona, where he earned a BA (cum laude) in economics and was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. In 1957 Sargent earned his MS in economics and finance from Columbia University in New York. Sargent spent his career at Arizona Public Service, and its parent company, Pinnacle West Capital Corp., where he was credited with putting APS's finances back in shape during the stagflation of the 1970s. As Chief Financial Officer, he helped repair the company's fractured relationship with the state's corporation commission, which set public electricity rates. He also was instrumental in the formation and expansion of Pinnacle West during the 1980s. When Sargent retired in 1995, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Pinnacle West, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of both Pinnacle West and APS. He also served as a board member of Magma Copper Company and Mega Foods Stores, Inc. Never one to seek the limelight for his accomplishments and his service, Sargent enjoyed wide respect for his integrity, steadfast reliability, sense of fairness, sharp sense of humor and intellect. He always said that the only membership he wanted listed in his obituary was to the Book of the Month Club. He was perhaps most proud of his invitation to join the ROMEOs (Retired Old Men Eating Out), and of his honorary membership at the American Legion Post #1 Luke-Greenway, where he had many friends. Deeply moved by artistic expression, particularly music and theater, he was devoted to promoting the arts community in Phoenix. He was instrumental in bringing the Arizona Theater Company to Phoenix in 1978, an expansion that dramatically broadened the theater's audience and sources of support. He also served as president of the Phoenix Symphony in the 1970s, and over the years has helped to produce a handful of off-Broadway plays. Sargent supported the civic and cultural development of Phoenix. His no-nonsense, unassuming style and supreme competence made him the "go-to guy" to accomplish whatever needed to be done, according to former Mayor Terry Goddard. He excelled at working behind the scenes, where political acumen was often required. He was appointed by Goddard to the Civic Center Building Commission, which oversaw the transformation of the Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix Little Theater and Phoenix Public Library. He also served as president of the Central Phoenix Committee, which advised on zoning and land-use issues for downtown Phoenix. As finance committee chair of the Citizens Bond Committee in 1988, he helped Phoenix secure $1 billion in financing - at the time the city's largest bond issue to date. Over the years he also served in various capacities for a number of smaller arts and charitable organizations, including as a board member of the Phoenix Art Museum and St. Luke's Hospital, chairman of the alumni association of the University of Arizona's College of Business, and chairman of Arizona State University's Fine Arts College. He was a longstanding member of the Thunderbirds. He took great joy in playing duplicate bridge and was a Life Master. He is survived by his wife, Claire King Sargent, children Catherine M. (Kitty) Sargent, Carolyn N. Sargent, and Henry B. Sargent III, and brother, William C. Sargent. Funeral services will be held at 4PM on Thursday, February 4, at All Saint's Episcopal Church in Phoenix. Charitable donations may be directed to Central Arizona Shelter Services.