Howard E. Butt, Jr. dead at 89

SAN ANTONIO—Businessman Howard E. Butt, Jr.—who pioneered the concept that the business world was a high calling for people of faith—died Sunday evening at home from complications related to Parkinson's. The former president of The H. E. Butt Foundation and H-E-B board vice chair was 89.
 
As a bridge builder between the secular and religious worlds, Butt is perhaps best remembered for nationally convening groups from all walks of life for intellectual discussion and inspired reflection, often hosting them at his Laity Lodge Retreat Center in the Texas Hill Country west of San Antonio, as well as his nationally-broadcast radio program, "The High Calling of our Daily Work."
 
Butt pioneered terms and concepts—such as work/life balance and small groups—and was an early adapter of the servant leadership movement. At a time when most leaders feared showing any weakness, he also courageously modeled transparency about his bouts with depression, recognizing the benefit to others in acknowledging that everyone has struggles.
 
Of the thousands of business professionals influenced by Butt, many recall his hospitality as a hallmark of their time at Laity Lodge and the Leadership Forums, including his ability to make anyone feel welcome and safe, no matter their station in life or their religious beliefs. He challenged them to use their gifts—which he believed came from God—to the utmost, saying that work had holy value, but that it also had to be balanced with personal growth and family commitments.
 
"Christianity that does not change us in our homes will never change the world," Butt was fond of saying, adding that "church work is done wherever we have excellence in our work that exhibits love for the people we are working with."
 
In his early years as a businessman and lay preacher, Butt served as an associate evangelist with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and was invited to address one of the first National Prayer Breakfasts, hosted by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956.  Billy Graham credited Butt with pioneering workplace ministry.
 
As he juggled his roles with the business, family and foundation, Butt developed a growing concern for the overlooked role of the church laity—those not serving as ordained ministers, but active members of their faith communities—as well as the dignity of work itself. Feeling called to step away from day-to-day leadership of the food business as a vice president in the late 1960s, he transitioned to a board role as vice chair, and with the support of his family, dedicated his life full-time to ministry.
 
"Howard had a vision of impacting the world but doing it through personal renewal within the family and the local church," said longtime friend and businessman Jack Willome. "He was unique in his recognition of the compatibility between sound biblical teaching and sound psychological understanding."
 
Born Sept. 8, 1927 in Kerrville, Texas, Butt grew up in the food business founded in 1905 by his grandmother, Florence. He attended Baylor University in Waco, graduating in 1947 with a degree in business, and soon afterward married his longtime sweetheart, Barbara Dan Gerber. While a student at Baylor, Butt is credited with leading a Christian youth revival movement that spread to college campuses across the country and influenced tens of thousands of young people.
 
Butt's parents, Howard E. Butt, Sr., and Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth Butt, greatly expanded the family business through the years. Today, H‑E‑B is one of the largest food retailers in the United States, with annual sales of more than $23 billion. With more than 380 stores and 96,000 employees, H‑E‑B is one of the largest privately held companies in the nation, serving families in more than 300 communities throughout Texas and northern Mexico.
 
President John F. Kennedy appointed Butt to the first Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity.
 
In 1933, the senior Butts had established The H. E. Butt Foundation, one of the earliest private foundations in Texas. It served as a vehicle for philanthropic contributions to south Texas communities, and in 1954 acquired 1,900 acres in the rural Texas Hill Country to provide free outdoor camping facilities for underprivileged children. After Butt took on leadership of the foundation, he was able to greatly expand upon his parents' vision, serving more than 20,000 campers each year—almost 1 million to date—including from churches and other non-profit groups. He also established the Laity Lodge Retreat Center, which brought together internationally renowned speakers, such as author Madeleine L'Engle and professors and theologians Henri Nouwen, J.I. Packer, and N.T. Wright. It was here that the "small group" model was birthed, transforming churches across the nation as they embraced the concept later described by Keith Miller in his best-selling book, "The Taste of New Wine," written largely at Laity Lodge.
 
With his acceptance of the presidency of The H. E. Butt Foundation in 1982, Butt expanded its charitable endeavors and role in integrating business and faith. He was inspired by his mother's vision for the foundation to "house the great theological thinkers of our day—which may in time broaden and deepen the spiritual life of many a church," and to "promote the highest aspirations known to men—ideas in education as well as in religion and in public health, both physical and mental."
 
Butt wrote numerous books on faith and leadership, beginning with "The Velvet-Covered Brick: Christian Leadership in an Age of Rebellion," which introduced the concept of "the Servant King," now known as servant leadership, to business leaders. Other books authored by Butt include "At the Edge of Hope: Christian Laity in Paradox;" "Renewing America's Soul;" "Renewing the Spirit, Healing the Soul;" and "Who Can You Trust? Overcoming Betrayal and Fear." He also contributed regularly to Laity Connections, the internal publication of The H. E. Butt Family Foundation.
 
Howard E. Butt, Jr., is survived by his wife, Barbara Dan; two siblings, Eleanor Butt Crook and Charles Butt; three children, Howard III (Pamela), Stephen (Susan) and Deborah Dan Rogers (David); and eight grandchildren, Howard IV (Kristen), Hillary (Tom), and Jeffery (Alexandra) Butt; Sarah and Shelby Butt; and Katherine (Rob), Alexandra (Patrick), and Jackson Rogers; and one great-granddaughter, Charley Butt.
 
Remembrances may be sent to the Friends of The H.E. Butt Family Foundation, P. O. Box 290670, Kerrville, Texas 78029-0670. A memorial service celebrating the life and witness of Howard E. Butt, Jr., will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, at Trinity Baptist Church, 319 E. Mulberry Ave., San Antonio, Texas 78212. The Porter Loring Mortuary is assisting the family with arrangements.