James Saye Jr.

1929 - 2022

James Angus Saye, Jr.
1929-2022
James Angus Saye, Jr., Houston advertising man and Texas history lover, died peacefully April 6, 2022, with his family at his side. He was 93. Jim was born April 4, 1929 in Montezuma, Georgia, and spent much of his youth in Oxford, North Carolina, where his father managed a lumber mill. He received a BA in Law from Emory University in 1951 and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy to serve two years during the Korean War. He was assigned to the attack cargo ship USS Thuban, where he served as second lieutenant commanding a group of 20 landing boats. Following military service, he enrolled at the University of Georgia, earning a BA in Journalism in 1954.
Jim came to Houston in 1955 to work on the Humble Oil account at advertising firm McCann Erickson, where he designed and wrote print ads for Humble Oil illustrated by famous Texas artist Buck Schiwetz. He coordinated Humble sponsorship of radio coverage featuring the legendary announcer Kern Tips for Southwest Conference football games in the early 1960s. In 1966, he founded Star Advertising and served as its president until retirement in 1993. The firm specialized in advertising for oilfield tools and other industrial equipment. In 1975, Star Advertising won the annual Oil & Gas Journal Highest Readership/Cost Effectiveness award for its ad series based on oil field scenes painted by Texas artists Stan Farnham, Mark Storm, and Bob Wygant. He was recognized by the Freedom Foundation for his patriotic-themed ad series for local printer Wilson-Lyle.
In retirement, Jim edited a western life magazine for several years and contributed numerous magazine and newspaper articles about Texas history. He researched and designed a popular series of calendars using black and white photos of historic Houston events from the Bob Bailey Studio. Later he coordinated placement of the Bob Bailey collection in the Briscoe archives at The University of Texas in Austin. He helped gain recognition and a state historical marker for the remains of the SS Selma concrete ship, which lies in Galveston Bay off Pelican Island, and organized an annual party in Galveston celebrating the ship.
He is survived by his son, James Angus Saye III and wife Ann; grandchildren, Mary Katherine Saye and Matthew James Saye of Houston; his son, Timothy David Saye, of Dallas; and his brother, Henry A. Saye, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was predeceased by his wife, the former Geraldyne Ann Whitfield.
The family extends its heartfelt gratitude to Kathy Giles for her compassionate care and devotion to Jim in the last months of his life.
A graveside service will be held at the Houston National Cemetery, 10410 Veterans Memorial Dr., Houston on April 25, 2022, beginning at 10:30 a.m.