Atlas Network has had a long relationship with the John Templeton Foundation, which has sponsored the annual Templeton Freedom Award every year since 2004, honoring think tanks that have made an exceptional contribution to the understanding of free enterprise, and the public policies that encourage prosperity, innovation, and human fulfillment via free competition. At the center of this relationship for many years has been Dr. John “Jack” Marks Templeton, who helped lead the foundation bearing his father’s name to become “the largest supporter of innovative efforts to promote free enterprise around the globe,” in the words of Atlas Network President Alex Chafuen.
Templeton was born Feb. 19, 1940 and he passed away on May 16, 2015. Chafuen’s memorial to him in Forbes is a thoughtful tribute to a man who spent his life building a legacy of freedom, grounding his support for economic liberty and free enterprise in a broader pursuit of the “big questions” about human nature and freedom. He kept the John Templeton Foundation true to its charter, and helped instill this commitment to principle in the rest of his family.
“In many foundations, after the death of the founder, the second and especially third generations start to drift away from donor intent,” Chafuen wrote. “Not so with Templeton. The organization’s unique statutes, and the personal commitment of Dr. Templeton to preserve the founder’s vision, has led to many third-generation members contributing to the cause of freedom. The most prominent are his daughters, Jennifer and Heather. His wife Pina (for Josephine), also deserves the credit; ‘their whole life has been working together as a team,’ Jennifer Templeton Simpson remarked. … Dr. Templeton’s responsibility in the promotion of free enterprise now passes to Heather Templeton Dill. She is now president of JTF. Heather is a mother of four, and Jennifer of two. Grand-nephews and nieces also share the vision and have roles in the foundation, so a faithful fourth generation is in the making.”
Atlas Network is proud to be a part of the vision that Dr. Templeton cultivated throughout his life, and for the personal relationship that so many at Atlas Network have enjoyed with both him and his family for so many years.
“All of us at Atlas Network are saddened by the passing of Jack Templeton,” Atlas Network CEO Brad Lips said. “His generosity to the cause of promoting freedom and free enterprise is well known. Even more valuable has been his example, ensuring that the John Templeton Foundation would operate with the culture of humility, candor, inquisitiveness, and optimism that marked his own life and that of his late father Sir John Templeton.”
Read “Dr. Jack Templeton Spent His Life Building a Legacy for Freedom” in Forbes.