Jesse L. Upchurch

Jesse L. Upchurch FORT WORTH--Jesse L. Upchurch, 93, passed away peacefully on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018, at his home in Fort Worth. SERVICE: The family will honor Jesse Upchurch's memory privately, and celebrations of his life will take place in various communities in the months ahead. We are establishing the Jesse L. Upchurch Memorial Fund, in lieu of flowers or if you wish to honor his memory, please e-mail pledges to jwest@virtuoso.com. We will subsequently contact you once the tax certifications are complete. Upchurch was an entrepreneur and visionary leader and co-founder of Virtuoso, headquartered in Fort Worth. His impressive and wide-ranging career spanned more than 54 years and multiple occupations. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather and friend to many. A private service will be held on March 5, with celebrations of life to be scheduled for various communities who cherished him. Upchurch was born in the small town of Gowdeysville, S.C., and raised primarily by his maternal grandparents due to the loss of both parents at a very young age. His family was of humble means and he was driven to overcome his station. He left the Carolinas at age 17 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving as ship's engineer and rising to the rank of lieutenant. After being discharged from the military, he joined the United States Line, where he served as the chief electrical engineer on the USS Washington. On a transatlantic crossing he met his future wife, Constance Johnston, and after a beautiful courtship involving months of love letters, he married Connie at the Johnston family home on Pine Island, Rye, N.Y. He once told his sons, "You know why I chose to be an electrical engineer on a ship? Because there's nowhere on the ship that doesn't have electricity! he'd say with a chuckle and a twinkle of the eye. He'd reminisce with pride about changing the fraternization rules between officers and passengers, a fun glimpse into his wonderful sense of humor. His engineering skills landed him a position with Travelers Insurance inspecting large plants. He then created Lloyd Industries, a research development and manufacturer of electro-optical and electromechanical devices, simulators, and instruments in South Hackensack, N.J. The firm became very successful in aviation, supplying parts for the B-52 bomber, as well as for the U.S. space program. In the mid-50s, Jesse played a key role in assisting Charles Tandy, with the critical financial support of Gwendolyn Tandy, Connie and the Johnston and Upchurch families to win a difficult proxy battle for control of Tandy Leather. Charles Tandy had lost control of Tandy Leather with its merger with American Hide & Leather. After the successful proxy campaign, the company changed its name to Tandy Corp on the New York Stock Exchange. He served on many Tandy Corp. spinoff boards; Pier 1, Color Tile and Bombay Company to name a few. He went on to serve as the chairman of the Executive Committee of the Tandy board after Charles' untimely death at age 60 but resigned his position years later as a course of last resort in his opposition to the leadership of Chairman & CEO John Roach. The Upchurches moved to Mexico City in the early 1960s where he assisted with the management, and eventual sale, of the United Sugar Companies of Mexico, based in the city of Las Mochis, Sinaloa both built by his grandfather-in-law, Benjamin Francis Johnston. Later in Mexico, he built the first timeshare resort in Acapulco and purchased Turismo Antonio Perez and Hoteles S.A. de S.V., a travel company and international hotel representation group. Jesse's entry into the travel industry began when he bought Vagabond Cruises, a yacht chartering company in the Caribbean's West Indies islands. But it was his purchase of Percival Tours in 1962 that truly launched his global impact on the industry. He quickly expanded operations beyond traditional European destinations into more exotic locales such as the South Pacific and Asia. He was even more passionate about opening up tourism in destinations previously considered only for the most intrepid traveler, such as Africa and India which were both beloved to him. During President Jimmy Carter's administration, Upchurch served a director on the Industry Advisory Board to the U.S. Congressional Travel & Tourism Caucus and was a founding member of the Travel and Tourism Government Affairs Policy Council. He was a co-founder of the U.S. Tour Operators Association, serving as its chairman, CEO & president. He also served as chairman of the African Travel Association. Upchurch was a founding member of World Wildlife Fund's 1001 Club. To protect the endangered Rothschild giraffe, he donated land to the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (of which he was chairman) for an area which now serves as the grounds of the famed Giraffe Manor in Nairobi. In 1986, Jesse and his son, Matthew, co-founded Allied-Percival International with the merger of Allied Travel, Inc. and Percival Tours, Inc. The merger evolved into what is now Virtuoso, the world's leading luxury and experiential travel network comprising than 17,500 travel advisors associated with more than 1,000 agency member locations in 45-plus countries and working with thousands of the world's leading travel partners, generating nearly $27 billion on sales. Among Jesse's many interests, he loved polo and was a lifelong champion of the game, key backer of the National Polo League, especially interscholastic and intercollegiate, and inducted into the United States Polo Association's Hall of Fame. Upchurch penned his autobiography a few years ago, aptly entitled, One Thing Just Led to Another. He was an inspiration to countless people around the world. Possessed of insatiable curiosity and a wonderful sense of humor, he noted in the book, "I've had a good life. I've had good opportunities. One thing just led to another. And look at what this life turned out to be." He will be greatly missed. He joins his beloved wife, Connie, and granddaughter, Gwendolyn in heaven. SURVIVORS: Children, Kenneth J. Upchurch (wife, Vicki), Gwendolyn Perrone (husband, John), Jesse "Jay" L. Upchurch (wife, Jan), and Matthew D. Upchurch (wife, Jessica); grandchildren, Evan Upchurch, Matthew M. Upchurch, Jordan Upchurch, Clay Upchurch, and Benjamin Upchurch.