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Phase II - Donor Gallery - J.L. Huffines '44
Automobile and Aggie Icon:
J.L. Huffines never forgets what Texas A&M did for his career, life
By Rusty Burson
As a teen-ager in the late 1930s and early ’40s, J.L. Huffines could see the handwriting on the wall. Europe was already involved in World War II in 1939, and by 1940, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was promoting the draft in his fireside chats.
In rural Lewisville, Texas, the global instability of the times played a significant role in Huffines’ decision about his collegiate destination.
“World War II was going on, and I knew that I was going to go,” Huffines said. “There was no doubt in my mind about that. So, I figured that if I was going to go to war, I wanted to be an officer. I knew I could do that by going to Texas A&M and being a part of the Corps of Cadets. Plus, I had always heard about A&M and had some friends that went there years ahead of me. It just seemed like the right place for me.”
So, Huffines left Lewisville High School (where he was one of 43 graduates) and arrived in College Station to begin a remarkable journey. As he predicted, Huffines was shipped from Brazos County to the battlefront in Europe, where he received the American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp and the National Defense Medal. He returned to A&M in the summer of ’46 and graduated in January of ’47.
He then followed his father’s footsteps into the automobile dealership industry. Huffines bought a Chevrolet-Chrysler dealership in Commerce in 1950, and in ’57 he returned to Lewisville to manage the local Huffines dealership.
Today, the 83-year-old Huffines is the chairman and owner of Huffines Auto Dealerships, which is now building its eighth location in McKinney. Huffines is an icon in the automobile dealership industry, the Lewisville community and at Texas A&M University, where honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award and inducted into the Corps of Cadets Corps Hall of Honor.
Huffines, a member of the A&M System Board of Regents, says he credits his professional success, among other things, to the old-fashioned work-ethic values his father instilled in him and the intangible characteristics he received from Texas A&M.
“I guess you could say next to my family and my church, Texas A&M been my greatest love,” Huffines said. “I’ve always appreciated it and had great respect and great feelings for what I learned at A&M. One of the main things being in the Corps taught me was respect. You have to respect for your fellow man. It taught me how to take care of myself, and it also taught me a lot of other things that helped me get back (from World War II and Korea) and helped me throughout my business career. A&M gave me so much that I have always tried to give back.”
Huffines, who served as president of the 12th Man Foundation’s Executive Committee (now the Board of Trustees) in 1971, has a long history of philanthropic service to A&M. He and his wife, Sydney, recently made a seven-figure donation to the Cox-McFerrin Basketball Center , one of the phase II projects of the Championship Vision Capital Campaign.
“The athletic programs at all universities receive so much publicity,” Huffines said. “They get the recognition, which brings the attention to the university. So, athletics have always been important to me because of the excitement they create and the exposure they generate.”
J.L HUFFINES AT A GLANCE
- A&M EXPERIENCE: Earned Bachelor of Science degree in economics and accounting.
- HONORS & AWARDS: Honorary lifetime member of the Texas A&M University Lettermen’s Association; served on the Chancellor’s 21st Century Council of Advisors and the Evans Library Capital Campaign at Texas A&M; trustee of the Medical School Foundation Board at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; life member award winner from the Salesmanship Club of Dallas; board member and life member of the State Fair of Texas; life member and past chairman of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association; former board member of the Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation; past chairman of the Texas State Senior Colleges Board of Regents.
- FAMILY: Met his wife, Sydney, through a friend 17 years ago. I have four boys. He has four grown children and two step-children. He also has 17 grandchildren.
- HUFFINES’ FAVORITE ATHLETIC MEMORIES: “I’ve gotten to know many of the coaches through the years. I got to know some of them a lot better than others. R.C. (Slocum) is a great person, and I really got to know and care a lot for Jackie (Sherrill). Gene (Stallings) is one of my favorites, too. For many years I went to all of the games, home and away. Then I was put on the selection committee for the Cotton Bowl years ago, and I traveled all over the county in the fall recruiting teams to come play in the Cotton Bowl. I missed a few games during that time, but I’d say except for the last two years, I’ve been to all of the home games.”
- WHAT EXCITES HUFFINES MOST ABOUT A&M ATHLETICS: “I think we’re going up that hill pretty fast. I think we’ve got something going for us. The spirit and everything. I think we’re on the right road in all of our programs, and it’s really exciting to be a part of it.”
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