Barnette, Thomas
BARNETTE, Sr., Thomas J.
Thomas Jackson Barnette, Sr. passed away peacefully on October 16, 2021, at the age of 91. Jack, as he was universally known, attended Atlanta's O'Keefe High School and later Georgia State College. He then served in the US Air Force where he rose to the rank of captain. While serving overseas, he earned the Air Force Commendation Medal, one of the highest honors granted by the Air Force, for creating a re-employment program for British citizens while serving in the United Kingdom.
As a civilian, he had a long and distinguished career in public relations, business, and education. He was a newspaper publisher, founding both Leisure Times Magazine and the Atlanta Times Observer, and a successful entrepreneur, founding many different companies. He served as president of Massey Junior College, Massey Law School, and the Fashion Institute of America before becoming the co-founder, Chairman of the Board, and Chief executive Officer of the American Colleges, now known as American Intercontinental University. It began as a dream of his and his late wife Helen Clancy Barnette and it grew to an institution spanning three continents.
He is widely credited with owning the first privately held institution of higher learning in the United States to achieve both bachelor's and master's degree-granting rights, with accreditation granted by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). He later founded both American State College and American International Television. Over his long and successful career two generations of education and business leaders on both sides of the Atlantic benefited from his mentorship.
Widely known in the Atlanta area, he received numerous awards over the years. The honors he most cherished were the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce as Atlanta's Young Man of the Year and the Association of Private Enterprise Education's Free Enterprise Award presented to him by Senator Phil Gramm. He was also a past president of the Georgia Private School Association.
The Republican Party drafted him to run as a candidate for the state's House of Representatives and he served as a active member of the Republican Party for over four decades. He was also an avid golfer and was a member of the Atlanta Country Club for 50 years where he served in several club offices.
An Anglophile, owing to his years of military service in England, he had belonged to Pinner Hill Golf Club in London, Upton-by-Chester Country Club in Chester, England, and the Royal Automobile Club in London. He also belonged to numerous other British clubs and organizations. In addition, he supported various British charities, most notably the National Children's Home, and enjoyed attending the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
He is survived by his five children. Thomas Edward Barnette (Rebecca), Mark Barnette (Elizabeth), William D. Barnette (Maria), Handley Barnette McGaha (Dustin), and Thomas Jackson Barnette Jr., as well as his nine grandchildren: Matthew Barnette, Kate Barnette, Michelle Barnette, Michael Barnette, Lauren Barnette Wilson (John), Patrick Barnette (Arlene), Logan Barnette, Baker McGaha, and Stella McGaha. Known for his love of animals, he is also survived by his black Lab Dixon.
A Celebration of Life will be held on November 26 at 11 AM at the Atlanta Country Club in Marietta.
