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A.J. "Jack" Pfister, an alumnus of the UA, former general manager of the Salt River Project and former member of the Arizona Board of Regents, died on July 20.

A.J. "Jack" Pfister, an alumnus of The University of Arizona, former general manager of the Salt River Project and former member of the Arizona Board of Regents, died on Monday, July 20. He was 75.  

A fourth-generation Arizonan, Pfister was born in Prescott on Oct. 3, 1933.  

Pfister was treasured by members of the Arizona business, education, nonprofit and government communities, having spent his entire career working to improve the quality of life for Arizona residents.

He grew up in Prescott, losing his father at age three, and worked hard to complete his high school education. From there, he moved on to the UA, where he graduated in 1955 with a bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering.  

After working as an engineer with Shell Oil Company from 1955 to 1956, he attended law school at the UA and graduated in 1959. Jack was a partner with the Phoenix law firm of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon until 1969.  

Having represented SRP as an attorney, he joined them full-time in 1969, where he served in various managerial capacities. He served as SRP general manager from 1976 until his retirement in 1991.  

Among his many accomplishments at the helm of SRP was a major water rights settlement for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community involving seven Phoenix-area cities and three irrigation districts.  

It was heralded as a milestone in cooperative water management in Arizona. While at SRP, Pfister advocated participatory management and established a structure for managers and supervisors to share ideas and concerns.  

He also initiated a series of social issue presentations designed to keep SRP executives focused on a wide spectrum of community and contemporary matters affecting the company.  

Pfister also was emphatic about the need to maintain high levels of integrity and good customer service. During both his professional career and after he retired, Pfister contributed his time generously to charitable, government and community causes.

After retiring from SRP, Pfister taught at Arizona State University's School of Public Affairs, and served as the university's vice president for institutional advancement.  

From 1982 to 1990, Pfister served as a member of the Arizona Board of Regents.

"His support for the university system was unwavering. For decades, Jack was there to lend support and provide guidance," said Ernest Calderon, president of the Arizona Board of Regents. "As a former regent, he significantly contributed to the enhancement of our university system, working to make a university education affordable and accessible for all. "  

He continued to remain active in education even after completing his term as a regent.

"Over the past five years, Jack provided the Board of Regents with informal advice on matters ranging from redesign to affordability and accessibility," said Calderon. "His post-regent service to our system is one of the most robust of any former regent."

In remembrance of Pfister, campus flags at all three state universities will be flown at half-staff until Monday, July 27.

Pfister served on the transition committees for both former Arizona Gov. Jane Hull and current Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. President Jimmy Carter tapped him for a national steering committee to analyze the damage from the disaster Three Mile Island. Most recently, he served as a board member for the Center for the Future of Arizona.

Among the many honors he received was the Human Relations Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews in 1992. In commending the award, Lattie F. Coor, then president of Arizona State University, said, "Jack Pfister combines an uncommon ability at problem solving with a boundless commitment to the well-being of this community and this state. By listening carefully to all who are around him, he finds the common core of decency by which a society advances itself and helps us all to make this a better place in which to live."  

Pfister had been undergoing treatment for lung cancer at the time of his death.

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Patricia, his daughter Suzanne, his son Scott, his brother Tad and many cousins and extended family. 

Contributions in Pfister's memory may be made to the following charities: Pfister Family Scholarship, Maricopa County Community College District Foundation, 2419 W. 14th Street, Tempe, AZ 85281, and the Wellness Community, 360 E. Palm Lane, Phoenix, AZ 85004.