Jim Albright, a long-time advertising copywriter and one of the original “Mad Men” from the 1960s, died Saturday, June 30, in Denton, Texas. He was 77.
As a creative for Tracy Locke, Albright is best remembered for launching–along with art director Ron McQuien–the landmark Doritos campaign that ran for 12 years starting in the 1970s. It starred Avery Schreiber and helped to make Frito-Lay’s brand Doritos the number-one product in its category.
There’s not a snack lover alive who hasn’t been touched by one of Albright’s many contributions to the American pop culture landscape he loved so much. His most lasting contribution, perhaps, may be Funyuns, which he named himself. (He claimed the original name he came up with, “OnYums”, was already taken).
Before getting into advertising, Albright practiced law for two years. He was a copywriter, broadcast producer, creative chief and group head at several agencies, including Tracy Locke, Bloom in Dallas and McCann Erickson.
Dr. Albright, or “Jim” as he preferred to be called, was widely published in many publications, including articles in the Denton Record Chronicle, AdWeek, and many other industry publications. In 1993, he also wrote a textbook, Creating the Advertising Message, which he taught in his classrooms for many years.
In the early ’80s, Albright fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a college professor. He became an associate professor in the media department at Southern Methodist University before teaching advertising and journalism at the University of Missouri. For the past couple of decades, he had been teaching as a tenured professor at the University of North Texas.
He was highly popular among his students, many of whom considered him a beacon of idealism in a world where competition and ambition seemed to trump all else. He had a reputation for reminding everyone–students, colleagues, friends and his own children–to slow down, take it easy and, most importantly, “love what you must do.” He followed that advice for years in all his endeavors, except when it came to faculty meetings, which he absolutely hated.
Albright loved teaching, his friends, the Texas Rangers, and his family very much, but his version of heaven was sitting alone in his favorite chair at home in front of his giant television, reading a Western, petting his beloved cat Jane, while every single television and radio in the house blared at full volume.
Albright was always amused when people would tease him about his many (failed) marriages, because, after all, they produced seven children who love him very, very much and will miss him terribly.
A gathering to celebrate Jim Albright’s life will be held at DeBerry Funeral Home, 2025 W. University, Denton, TX 76201 on Friday, July 7, at 11 a.m. Pallbearers include Jim Albright Jr., Adam Albright-Hanna, Lucky Albright, Ron McQuien, Roy Busby, and Koji Off. He is survived by his sister, Cheryl Teeter, Ducky Albright, his children Jim Jr., Becca, Rachel, Naida, Kate, Adam, Lucky, and his grandchildren, Dominik, Jonas, Rachel, Walker, Sarah, Coleman, Declan, Sully and Gabriel.
Trump Asks Supreme Court To Delay TikTok Ban
President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a "political resolution" to the issue.
The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by Jan. 19 while the government emphasized its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk.
"President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act's deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case," said Trump's amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case and was written by D. John Sauer, Trump's choice for solicitor general.
The argument submitted to the court is the latest example of Trump inserting himself in national issues before he takes office. The Republican president-elect has already begun negotiating with other countries over his plans to impose tariffs, and he intervened earlier this month in a plan to fund the federal government, calling for a bipartisan plan to be rejected and sending Republicans back to the negotiating table.
He has been holding meetings with foreign leaders and business officials at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida while he assembles his administration, including a meeting last week with TikTok CEO Shou Chew.
Trump has reversed his position on the popular app, having tried to ban it during his first term in office over national security concerns. He joined the TikTok during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with younger... Read More