Phillip A. Sinclair

SINCLAIR Phillip A. P.A. Sinclair...man of numerous talents; short storywriter, corporate employee, freelance agent, infantry officer, pioneered UT television instruction, lecturer, overseas traveler, full professor, Greek philosophy student... Phil was a great communicator, writing hundreds of letters annually to national and international sources. In these letters, when attempting to solve problems, he sought first to build a favorable attitude within his communicant. This might involve a gift of flowers or candy, or a recall of fond memories or past achievements. Once this was established, happy actions would generally follow. "He loved language," said his daughter Victoria Capper. "He loved reading and writing." People would come to him to write letters for them. He communicated well in French also, addressing the faculty at France's military academy, St. CYR, Paris July 1979 and the All-India Physics Teachers Conference, Bombay, February, 1988. Phillip A. Sinclair, age 93 years, died at the Lutheran Village at Wolf Creek, Holland Ohio Wednesday afternoon, September 5, 2007. A memorial service will be held at St. Michael's-in-the-Hills Episcopal Church, Brittany Road, Ottawa Hills on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. Private interment in Union Cemetery Oak Harbor will follow on Sunday. Born in Springfield, Ohio and reared in Lakewood, Ohio he was a graduate of the Ohio State University and held a Master's degree from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. During World War II, he was with the first regiment off the mainland after Pearl Harbor, shipping from San Francisco December 21, 1941. He later became an officer, and served in a liaison capacity with French troops in Northern Europe. Prior to the war, the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, employed him. He served there in public relations, sales, advertising and purchasing departments. Firestone sent him to Northwestern University for graduate study after the war. He joined the Electric Auto-lite Company, Toledo, Ohio in 1953. At Auto-lite, he held major assignments including sales management of "Tune-Up Town", an experimental marketing venture. He resigned from the successor company, Prestolite, in 1964 to pursue a teaching career at Youngstown State University. The University of Toledo hired him three years later. A consummate teacher, he won numerous national and local teaching awards, including the "Best Teacher of the Year" award at UT for 1973. He earned recognition from Phi Delta Kappa in 1981 for contributions to public education, and a national award in 1985 from the National Association of Management/Marketing Educators for innovative teaching. He constantly sought impact on students, occasionally standing on top of a classroom desk and conducting final exams verbally in an auditorium. Mr. Sinclair is credited with pioneering instructional television as a UT faculty member, which resulted in nine 50-minute lectures for business communications classes, and eight 35-minute lectures for marketing classes. He was also the first Community & Technical College faculty member to receive a UT faculty research grant. He was the author of 43 professional articles in the management/marketing field, the author of two books: Personal Creativity for Today and Just Grammar-How to Enjoy It. He also served as editor of The National Journal, a quarterly publication distributed nationally in the management/ marketing field. P.A. Sinclair was one of 32 Midwest professors selected by the People's Republic of China as its guests to participate in its summer 1982 Scientific Exchange program. He consulted with counterparts on improvements of teaching in 5 mainland Chinese cities. June 17 - July1, 1982. During his tenure at U.T., he and his wife engaged in extensive world travel, completing 22 overseas trips and 8 Canadian visits. He spoke extensively before international conferences, oversees faculties, and carried on numerous research endeavors with foreign professionals. On October 6, 1999, the Sinclairs celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. He was preceded in death by his wife, Faye Elizabeth, in July, 2000. Surviving are his two children Charles, Whitehouse, Ohio and Victoria Capper, Granville, Ohio and four grandchildren. Mr. Sinclair's cremains will be buried at a private graveside ceremony in a family plot at Union Cemetery, Oak Harbor, Ohio. Friends may call at the Coyle Funeral Home, 1770 S. Reynolds Road Saturday 1-5 p.m. where the funeral service will take place Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. in St. Michaels in the Hills. Memorials may take the form of a contribution to the church. Please view and sign the Guest Registry at www.CoyleFuneralHome.com