Al Higdon

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Allan "Al" K. Higdon
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Born1936
Kansas City, MO
EducationBusiness Administration , Journalism
Alma materUniversity of Kansas
OccupationBeech Aircraft Corporation

Allan "Al" K. Higdon, born 1936, is a retired advertising and public relations executive. Primarily based in Wichita, KS, Higdon was a leader in marketing and communications for the aircraft industry.[1] Working with Beech Aircraft Corporation, he helped to introduce the Beechcraft King Air, the most successful business turboprop model in aviation history.[2][3] During his time at Lear Jet Corporation, Higdon would make Learjet aircrafts become a household name due to his highly strategic approach to promoting the aircrafts.[4] After ten years in the aircraft industry, Higdon partnered with Wendell Sullivan to form the advertising and public relations firm Sullivan Higdon Inc.[5], which was renamed to Sullivan Higdon & Sink in 1979 before being renamed again to Signal Theory in 2019.[6] Today, Signal Theory has over 140 employees[7] spread across the Wichita and Kansas City metro regions.

Early life

Higdon was born in Kansas City, MO, where he spent his first 15 years, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. His parents were Lee O. Higdon, an accountant, and Marian R. (Peters) Higdon, a homemaker. He has two brothers, David B., born 1938, and Philip R., born 1948. In 1951 Higdon's father accepted a job in Wichita, KS, where the family subsequently moved.

Education

He is a 1954 honor society graduate of Wichita High School East, where he served as editor of the school newspaper. In 1954 he entered the University of Wichita (now Wichita State University), as a declared business administration major. He transferred to the University of Kansas as a junior, graduating in 1958 with a degree in business administration.[3] He earned a second degree, in journalism, from Wichita State in 1961.[3][8][9]

Career

Higdon's first professional job began in 1958 with James R. Hanson & Associates, a public relations counseling firm in St. Louis, MO. Sensing a need to expand his writing skills, in 1959 he returned to Wichita, enrolling at Wichita State to earn a degree in journalism, which he did in one year, while also serving as business manager of the university newspaper.

In January, 1961, he joined Beech Aircraft Corporation (now Textron Aviation) in the firm's public relations department, advancing to press relations manager in 1963.[3] While at Beech he helped introduce the Beechcraft King Air[2], the most successful business turboprop model in aviation history, still in production after more than 60 years.[10]

In 1964 Higdon was recruited by his former boss and mentor James Greenwood to join Lear Jet Corporation, founded a year earlier by William P. Lear, Sr., prior to the first customer delivery of the Lear Jet Model 23 business jet.[3] At Learjet Higdon and Greenwood accepted Bill Lear's challenge to make the name Learjet synonymous with the term business jet[11][12][13], in a global field of more than a half dozen larger competitors.[10] For the next seven years and beyond, during a series of new model introductions, this objective was achieved by getting Learjets placed in numerous movies and television shows, in non-aviation product print advertisements from luggage to automobiles, on more than 100 magazine covers and achieving several dozen world flight performance records, including two around-the-world flights, one piloted by golfer-aviator Arnold Palmer.[14][15] Before long when someone from the general public spotted a small jet aircraft, most identified it as a Learjet.[16]

In 1971 Higdon resigned as director of Learjet public relations, and, with his long-time friend and former Beech Aircraft associate Wendell Sullivan, the pair launched their own advertising and public relations firm, Sullivan Higdon Inc.[3] That organization, with name change in 1979 to Sullivan Higdon & Sink, (SHS), to reflect naming as partner Vaughn Sink, who joined the firm in 1972[17][18], On March 6, 2019, the firm was renamed again to Signal Theory.[19] Since its founding, it has grown to more than 140 staff members, generating more than $120 million in annual client billings from offices in Wichita and Kansas City, the latter opened in 1997.

After 25 years as co-founding partner, chairman and CEO, Higdon retired from SHS in 1996, at age 60.[20][21][22] During his tenure, clients included Learjet, Cessna Aircraft, Piaggio Aircraft (Italy), Coleman Outdoor Products, Pizza Hut, Inc., Koch Industries, and divisions of American Airlines, B.F. Goodrich and Rockwell International.[23][24][5][21][25]

Pop Culture

The final episode of the American period drama television series "Mad Men" directly references the Learjet campaign led by Higdon.[26] Commenting on the episode shortly after it aired, Higdon stated "Those were heady days for Learjet. It was kind of incredible to think it all came to life last night on 'Mad Men.'"[27]

Professional Activities

Always active in his adopted hometown of Wichita, Higdon served as chair of Exploration Place, president of River Festivals Inc., chair of United Way of the Plains, Alex de Tocqueville Society, president of Music Theatre of Wichita, president of the Wichita Business Responsibility Council, and on boards of the Wichita Area Chamber of Commerce, Wichita/Sedgwick County Long-Range Planning Task Force, the Salvation Army, Wichita Art Museum, the Knight Foundation, Junior Achievement and Wichita Community Foundation, as well as serving as an advisory board member of the Kansas Policy Institute.[28][25] For one year he served as interim president (pro bono) of the Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition.[29]

In education Higdon served as chair of the Wichita State University Foundation's National Advisory Council[30] and as a member of the WSU board of trustees.[20] He was a member of two WSU presidential search committees. For the University of Kansas he served as chair of the KU Endowment Association's Chancellor's Club and member of the William Allen White Foundation and business school dean's advisory council.[28]

After his retirement from SHS, Higdon for eight years was professional-in-residence at the WSU Elliott School of Communication[28][3][20], teaching graduate classes in advertising management and public relations case studies. During this time he also served as a volunteer medical transportation driver for the American Red Cross, weekly taking people in financial need to their medical appointments.[25][31]

Honors and awards

He was named both Wichita Advertising Person of the Year (1973) and Wichita Public Relations Professional of the Year (1976). He received the Advertising Federation Silver Medal Award (2010)[32][33][18], served as Admiral Windwagon Smith of the Wichita River Festival (1989)[34], elected into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame (2008)[5][35], named recipient of the Wichita Aero Club trophy (2015)[36][25], WSU Trustees Award (1997)[37] and WSU Elliott School of Communications Alumnus of the Year (2003).[38]

Personal

In 1958 Higdon married Judy Dold. They were married for 64 years before her death in 2022. The couple have three children, Sarah Higdon Fearn (born 1966), Adam (born 1967) and Claudia (born 1968). Higdon has five grandchildren and six great grandchildren.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "One on One with Victor Hogstrom: Al Higdon" – via www.youtube.com.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/print-edition/2013/08/30/beechcraft-king-air-model-90-the-atv.html
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/print-edition/2014/12/12/al-igdon-s-career-spans-the-emergence-of-the-air.html?page=all
  4. ↑ https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/news/2021/02/11/the-inevitable-end-of-learjet.html
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2008/03/10/focus3.html
  6. ↑ Technician, Signal (March 26, 2019). "Sullivan Higdon & Sink Breaks New Ground with Unique Brand Position, New Name". Signal Theory.
  7. ↑ "Signal Theory Inc. | LinkedIn". www.linkedin.com.
  8. ↑ https://www.kansas.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/article200258679.html
  9. ↑ https://soar.wichita.edu/bitstream/handle/10057/16704/1997_annual.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Al Higdon and Paul Bowen".
  11. ↑ "Learjet Made Business Planes Cool, But The Party's Over". KMUW. February 19, 2021.
  12. ↑ https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/print-edition/2016/03/04/facing-the-headwinds.html
  13. ↑ https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/print-edition/2013/08/30/learjet-23-the-plane-that-built-the.html
  14. ↑ "Podcast: Learjet - An Inside View From Those Who've Been There | Aviation Week Network". aviationweek.com.
  15. ↑ https://www.kansas.com/news/business/aviation/article104214741.html
  16. ↑ https://www.kansas.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/article1077487.html
  17. ↑ "The Simple Life - (2006) Fall 2006 - THE SHOCKER". the-shocker.wichita.edu.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2010/02/01/daily8.html
  19. ↑ https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/news/2019/03/06/shs-no-more-wichitas-most-successful-ad-agency.html
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2002/06/24/daily9.html
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/1996/07/22/story5.html
  22. ↑ "PEOPLE;COMINGS AND GOINGS". Ad Age. August 5, 1996.
  23. ↑ Member, 4A's (November 25, 2008). "Sullivan Higdon & Sink Partner Retires After 32 Years". 4A's.
  24. ↑ https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2008/11/17/daily55.html
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 "Wichita Aero Club Trophy to be presented to Al Higdon — General Aviation News". generalaviationnews.com. October 23, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Exiting The Mad Men Era—In A Lear Jet". Business Jet Traveler. July 28, 2015.
  27. ↑ https://www.kansas.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/carrie-rengers/article20668023.html
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 "Advisory Council - Kansas Policy Institute". October 23, 2015.
  29. ↑ https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2008/03/31/story6.html
  30. ↑ Fogle, Tammara (January 5, 2022). "Active Age board gets new president and members". The Active Age.
  31. ↑ "January 2022 by the active age - Issuu". issuu.com. January 7, 2022.
  32. ↑ https://www.kansas.com/news/business/article1026122.html
  33. ↑ https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2010/02/08/daily14.html
  34. ↑ "Admirals Windwagon Smith".
  35. ↑ https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2008/03/10/focus1.html
  36. ↑ "Al Higdon, Co-Founder of Sullivan Higdon & Sink Advertising". Wichita Aero Club. January 11, 2015.
  37. ↑ "BOT Award". www.wichita.edu.
  38. ↑ https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2003/10/20/daily24.html

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