JOHN C. HERKLOTZ

Producer

John C. Herklotz was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from high school at age 15, prior to entering the U.S. Army in 1943, he was employed by Chicago Title & Trust and the Chicago Tribune. During this period he attended college to accomplish his early goal to become a Certified Public Accountant.

While serving with the U.S. Army, he was a member of the 44^tTH Infantry Division, the Army Specialized Training Program at the University of South Dakota, and completed his service with the 191st Signal Repair Company in the China-Burma-India area. Following his military service, John entered DePaul University to further his education goals while working part-time at the Tribune. After graduation from DePaul with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Price Waterhouse employed him for two years during which time he obtained his C.P.A. license.

In 1951, John returned to the Chicago Tribune where his professional experience included employment as Internal Auditor, Manager of the Tax Department and Chief Financial Officer for the Tribune’s subsidiary companies. In addition, he was Auditor and Controller for WGN Continental Broadcasting during seven years of their expansion. In 1968, John left corporate life to pursue a career as a media financial consultant and broadcast station broker. During the next twenty years, he rendered consulting and brokerage services to numerous radio, television, and cable companies.

In 1988, John formed the Cellular Financial Corporation and actively pursued opportunities in the new and expanding cellular telephone industry. The federal government awarded John’s company a rural telephone license in New Mexico covering 22,000 square miles of service area including the cities of Santa Fe and Los Alamos. In 1990 he sold his company to Centel Corporation to pursue his lifelong dream of devoting time and resources to charitable and worthwhile causes. Over the last twenty-five years, John has established a legacy of helping numerous worthy causes. John was also the Chairman of Tesuque Radio Company that operated a communications site on Tesuque Peak, New Mexico. In December 2017 Tesuque Radio Company was sold to X-Cell Towers II, LLC.

As owner and Chief Executive Officer of Herklotz Enterprises, Inc., John produced a feature film, “The Giant of Thunder Mountain,” a heart-warming story for the entire family.

John’s charitable endeavors include his role as financial contributor and Chairman of the Board of Directors of American Happenings. John has generously contributed to The John Douglas French Foundation for Alzheimer’s Research, The Phoenix House, The Santuario de Guadalupe, Santa Fe, and has provided scholarship funds and grants to Children’s Museum of the Desert, USC Schools of Medicine & Music, and USC Library, California Institute of the Arts, Herklotz Research Facility at University of California Irvine, John Brown University, National Domestic Violence Hotline, PBS SoCal, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, Richard Nixon Presidential Library, DePaul University, Ray Meyer Scholarship Fund, Gregorian University Foundation, Orthopedic Research & Education Foundation, Susan G. Komen Foundation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Children’s Miracle Network, American Cancer Society, Big Brothers Big Sisters, National Dance Institute of New Mexico, Children’s Hospital Orange County, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children, Orange County Bar Foundation, Concordia University, Greenville College, Pepperdine University, Occidental College, Lupus Research Institute, Vital Ground Foundation, America’s Mock Election, Gary Sinise Foundation, The Eisenhower Foundation, and George W. Bush President’s Council.

In 1998, The Vatican conferred the Papal Knight of St. Gregory on John for his significant service and assistance to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.

Perhaps closest to John’s heart is the creation of the Dale Melbourne Conference Center, which is named for John’s beloved wife. The Center is located on the University of California at Irvine campus, which is also the home of the Herklotz Research Facility.