Former 7-Eleven leader dead at 77

DALLAS, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- John P. Thompson, the "heart" of the company that turned 7-Eleven convenience stores into a household word, is dead at the age of 77.

Thompson, a former chairman and chief executive officer of The Southland Corp., helped grow a small Dallas ice company into the world's largest convenience retailer during his 48 years with the company. He died Tuesday from brain cancer.

Jim Keyes, president and CEO of 7-Eleven, Inc., said the success that the company enjoys today is due in great part to Thompson.

"John was visionary, astute, competitive, and very principled," he said. "He was both the driving force and the heart of the Southland family."

Keyes said many of the products that the public associates with 7-Eleven today, such as the Slurpee and the Big Gulp, were launched during Thompson's reign. The slogan, "Oh Thank Heaven for 7-Eleven," was also introduced under his leadership.

Thompson's father, Joe C. Thompson, founded the company and groomed his son to take over as Southland president before he died 1961. Southland then operated 600 stores. Today, under new ownership, 7-Eleven, has more than 20,200 stores worldwide.

Thompson was also known for his contributions to the community and charitable groups. The Southland name was synonymous with "Jerry's Kids" as the largest contributor to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, raising $81.5 million.

Thompson was born Nov. 2, 1925, in Dallas. While his father ran Southland Ice Company he attended local schools and worked part time at the company. He graduated from the University of Texas in 1948 after serving two years in the U.S. Navy.

Thompson is survived by his wife, Debra Rutherford Thompson, their daughter, Mary Ann Frenk and husband, Josh; three children by his first marriage -- daughter Peggy Wolf and her husband Lloyd; son Doug and his wife Bonnie, son John Jr. and his wife Diane, and eight grandchildren.

A rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. CST Wednesday at the Sparkman Hillcrest Funeral Home in Dallas. A memorial mass will be at 10 a.m. CST Thursday at Christ the King Catholic Church in Dallas.