John Philp Thompson Sr.
John Philp Thompson Sr. (November 2, 1925 – January 28, 2003), was the eldest son of Joe C. Thompson Sr., the founder of the 7-Eleven chain of convenience stores. Career Although young, John Philp Thompson began his work in the business at an early age while it was still the Southland Ice Company and worked beside his father in its evolution from a small ice company into the Southland Corporation, which had expanded to include Oak Farms Dairy into its eventual "invention" of the convenience store concept. He served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. By 1948, the Dallas Times Herald wrote that the young "Johnny Thompson" was destined to be one of "Tomorrow's Leaders". Before his father, Joe C. Thompson, died in 1961, he passed the reins of the convenience store chain to John, who later grew it from a Texas chain into the global giant that in 1985 had total annual revenues exceeding $12.7 billion, taking the new concept of a convenience store into the world markets of Mexico, Japan, Far Eastern countries, Australia and Europe. John Philp Thompson again made history when under his guidance, Southland Corp. (7-Eleven) raised $81.5 million for the Muscular