Record details
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Ben: I have many fond memories of my time at Tyler Junior College. I attended from 1946-48, and it turned out to be the ideal place for me to resume my education. During WWII, I had been stationed in Iceland with the 8th Air Force serving as an aerial engineer and crew chief on various fighter planes. My grandparents encouraged me to use the GI bill to go back to school. My grandfather had moved to Tyler in the 1920’s to work in the East Texas oilfields, and I lived with them in what was then considered south Tyler, just blocks from the original Tyler Junior College campus – the old Tyler High School downtown. The enrollment was only a few hundred, and the faculty was excellent, patient and understanding.
I remember TJC’s President, Dr. Harry Jenkins, and the Dean, Dr. Edward Potter would be there to greet us students every morning at the main entrance. It holds a special place in my heart. Tyler Junior College gave me the confidence to go and finish my education at The University of Texas at Austin, where I studied business and got my bachelor’s degree. After serving two years as a second lieutenant in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict, I followed in my grandfather’s footsteps and worked for various oil companies all over Texas. In 1966, my career path landed me in Fort Worth, where I kept crossing paths with an accomplished young woman who not only attended the same church I did, but also lived in the same apartment complex.
Elizabeth Sutton
Elizabeth: Yes, that would be me. I had moved from Tennessee and was working for Alcon Laboratories conducting medical research. When we met in 1966, there were quite a few single folks living in my apartment complex and so there was always something social going on. Ben kept popping up in my circles, both at home and church. Even though I was the ‘true orange’, having graduated from the University of Tennessee, and he was the ‘burnt orange’ from UT Austin, we had so much in common.So when Ben got transferred to Houston and then moved back to Tyler, we continued to date long distance, and for a very long time. I daresay our wedding at Marvin Methodist Church in 1978 was a surprise to some. For me, it had never been about ‘getting married’; it was about the person. Ben was and is ‘the person’ for me. We are both firm believers in putting church, healthcare and education first. My decision to leave Houston and join him in Tyler to work side-by-side in a family business, give back to a beloved community and invest in Tyler Junior College, the institution that made such positive impact on Ben’s life, has been the best decision of my life. I’m pretty sure Ben feels the same way....
Ben: Oh yes, you can say that again! - Biography
- For the past 37 years, TJC Heroes and Friends Ben and Elizabeth Sutton have been consistently involved with many worthy causes in Tyler. They have generously contributed to various initiatives at Tyler Junior College, including the new Robert M. Rogers Nursing and Health Sciences Center. Avid supporters of TJC, the Suttons believe they are investing in a legacy institution that will continue to serve the educational needs of the community, grow the local economy and stand strong as one of our finest traditions for future generations. They continue to work side-by-side at Nivla Oil Corporation, where Ben serves as President. In addition to affiliations with numerous professional groups and having served as president for the East Texas Producers and Royalty Owners Association, Ben has also volunteered for and led area government and nonprofit groups, served as Chairman of Tyler’s Planning and Zoning Commission and as President for both the East Texas Symphony Orchestra and the Tyler Civic Theatre. Ben Sutton was recently recognized by the TJC Alumni Association as the 2014 Distinguished Alumnus Award winner. During the Alumni Awards Dinner on Oct. 24, an anonymous donor established a TJC scholarship in his name.
