John Temple Phillips, Jr. Obituary

John Temple Phillips, Jr. John Temple Phillips, Jr., of Albany, devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, highly respected community leader, and loyal servant of God, died at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital on Sunday, December 2, 2007. Mr. Phillips was born in Suffolk, Virginia, on June 13, 1915, the son of John Temple Phillips, Sr. and Virginia Shoop Phillips. He attended public schools there and later attended Virginia Polytechnical Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia. When John T. Phillips, Sr., purchased controlling interest of Lilliston Implement Company in 1935 and moved to Albany, Mr. Phillips joined the company and moved to Albany in July of 1937. He enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1941 and attended Officers Candidate School, graduating in 1942. Mr. Phillips served as a base intelligence officer for 1 year, attended the Army Air Force Intelligence School in Harrisburg, PA, in 1943, and served for 20 months in Italy as Squadron Combat Intelligence officer. He was discharged with the rank of captain. Mr. Phillips married Aynn Puckett Kirtley daughter of Dr. and Mrs. James Addison Kirtley of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in 1945 and returned to Albany. He worked with Lilliston Implement Company as Sales Representative. In May of 1949 he became Vice President and Assistant General Manager. He continued his career with Lilliston as Executive Vice President and then General Manager, and in 1960 was elected President of Lilliston Implement Company. In July of 1975 he was elected Chairman of the Board of Lilliston Corporation. Mr. Phillips was a member of Porterfield Memorial United Methodist Church and attended the Alpha Sunday School class. In his early years in Albany he served St. Paul's Episcopal Church as Sunday School Superintendent. Later at Covenant Presbyterian Church he served as deacon, elder, Clerk of the Session, and Chairman of the Sanctuary Building Committee. He was past President of Southern Farm Equipment Manufacturers; past Vice-Chairman of the joint Albany-Dougherty County Planning Commission; past director of Associated Industries of Georgia; former member of the National Defense Executive Reserve; past director and chairman of the Farm and Industrial Equipment Institute; past director, First State Bank and Trust; former member of the Advisory Committee of Vocational Technical Schools for the State of Georgia; Trustee Emeritus for Darton College; former member of the Education Goals Commission, State of Georgia; former member of the U.S. Department of Commerce Advisory Committee for Agribusiness Industry; former director of Southern Industrial Relations Conference; Trustee, Georgia Agrirama Foundation; past director, Albany Chamber of Commerce; former Trustee, Medical College of Georgia Foundation, Inc.; and member of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital Foundation Board, and member of the Peanut Institute Development Foundation Committee.. Mr. Phillips gave more than 50 years of service to many organizations, including the Albany Rotary Club, past president and a Paul Harris Fellow; the Boy Scouts of America, Eagle Scout and the recipient of the " Distinguished Eagle" and "Silver Beaver" awards; Albany YMCA, past president; American Society of Agricultural Engineers, state chairman; and the American Legion. Mr. Phillips was the recipient of the Exchange Club's "Golden Deed" award; the Liberty Bell award from the district and state; the 1972 John Deere Gold Medal award "For Distinguished Achievement in the Application of Science and Art To The Soil;" the Character Education Award of Honor from the American Institute for Character Education; and The "AGHON" Award from the University of Georgia's Agricultural Honorary Society, and the "Outstanding Citizen Award" from the Woodmen of the World. On behalf of Lilliston Corporation and his father, he was the recipientfor two of the Equipment Manufacturers Institute's recognition of the Top 100 Contributions to the Mechanization of Agricul

John Temple Phillips, Jr. Obituary

June 13, 1915 - December 2, 2007