Charter
Funds distributed from the Edward W. Cundiff Memorial Excellence Fund in Marketing will be used in perpetuity to support faculty, students, and programs in the McCombs School of Business. The types and amounts of such uses will be determined by the Dean, at the recommendation of the Chair of the Department of Marketing, and may include, but are not limited to, student recruitment and student programs; salary supplements for faculty to support research, faculty development, curriculum development and course development; salary supplements to attract, retain, develop, and enhance outstanding faculty; alumni programs, honoraria; travel; and other operating expenses for the Department of Marketing. At least once a year, Ed Cundiff will be recognized at an event and/or activity funded by the endowment’s annual distributions.
Founders:
Drs. William H. and Isabella Cunningham
Rich, Geoff and Greg Cundiff
Contributors:
Dr. Dale D. Achabal. Santa Clara, CA
Dr. Arthur Allaway, Northport, AL
Dr. Richard R. Batsell, Houston, TX
Dr. Peter D. Bennett, State College, PA
Dr. Floyd Brandt, Austin, TX
Dr. Eli P. Cox III, Austin, TX
Dr. Linda V. Gerber, Austin, TX
Dr. Alfred J. Hagan, Redondo Beach, CA
Dr. Karl E. Henion II, Austin, TX
Dr. Robert Joseph Hoover, Pocatello, ID
Dr. David and Suzanne Huff, Austin, TX
Dr. J Jeffrey Inman, Wexford, PA
Dr. Gaylord and JoAnn Jentz, Austin, TX
Dr. Daniel M. Laufer, New York, NY
Dr. Warren S. Martin, Birmingham, AL
Dr. Dan H. Robertson, College Station, TX
Dr. John H. Williams, Houston, TX
Memorial Resolution
Dr. Edward Cundiff, the John A. Beck Centennial Professor Emeritus in Communication was a distinguished member of both the College of Business and the College of Communication faculty at The University of Texas at Austin. His contributions to our University were many and invaluable. He was instrumental in building two academic departments, the Department of Marketing and the Department of Advertising. Both departments achieved top national reputation for the excellence of their programs and the quality of their faculty under his direction.
Dr. Cundiff received a B.A. degree in Economics from Stanford University in 1941, having been a member of Theta Chi. He received an MBA degree in 1942 and an Ed. D. degree from Stanford University in 1952. He was also a Ford fellow at the Harvard School of Business Administration in 1956, and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California at Berkeley and at The University of Michigan.
In 1942, Dr. Cundiff served in WWII to lieutenant (senior grade) US Naval Reserve. In the article: “The Stanford Business School at 75 Years” (Stanford Business, May 2000, Volume 68, Number 3) was reported that Edward Cundiff, a member of the MBA Class of 1942, found himself as a Navy Seabee on “Island X” in the Aleutians.
Dr. Cundiff started his career as a retailing executive (1946-48). Later he was an instructor of marketing at San Jose State College from 1949 to 1952. He was an Assistant Professor and later an Associate Professor of marketing at Syracuse University (1952-1958), and was Assistant Dean at Syracuse from 1954 to 1958.
Dr. Cundiff came to The University of Texas at Austin in 1958, where he served as the Chair of the Department of Marketing from 1958 to 1964 and from 1967 to 1971. While a Professor at The University of Texas Marketing Department, he was the recipient of an endowed Chair. From 1973 to 1975, Dr. Cundiff was Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Business and was responsible for its PhD program. He retired as Professor of Marketing in 1977.
Upon retirement from the Department of Marketing, Dr. Cundiff accepted an appointment at Emory University as the Charles H. Carlstadt Professor of Marketing. Dr. Cundiff returned to the University of Texas at Austin in 1987, serving as Chair of the Department of Advertising from 1987 to 1991. He was named the John H. Beck Centennial Professor in Communication from 1987 to 1994, and after his retirement he was named the John H. Beck Centennial Professor Emeritus in Communication from 1994-1996. Dr. Cundiff was named Emeritus Professor of Marketing in 1996 and was inducted into the McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame at The University of Texas in 1993-94.
Dr. Cundiff was a prolific and distinguished author. He wrote seven books and numerous articles. From 1973 to 1976, he was the Editor of The Journal of Marketing, the premier marketing academic journal and was a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Macromarketing. He is credited with insightful editorials and was responsible for charting the direction of marketing academic research both as an author and a leader in the academic community. Dr. Cundiff also served on the Board of the American Marketing Association and was its Vice President for a term.
Dr. Cundiff was elected as a Fellow of the Southern Marketing Association in 1980. He was the first recipient of the L.J. Buchanan Distinguished Professorship at UT San Antonio (1976-77) and was the recipient of a Ford Foundation grant for research in marketing in 1963.
Dr. Cundiff’s contributions and numerous accomplishments were recognized internationally. He served as visiting professor of marketing in the Republic of South Africa, Germany, and Mexico City. He also served as a consultant to the European Productivity Agency (1960-1961) and helped the development of marketing programs at two newly formed business schools in Fontainebleau, France and Palermo, Italy.
Dr. Cundiff was an outstanding scholar and an excellent administrator. His former colleagues and students remember him with much affection and respect. He has inspired and mentored many world–class marketing and advertising academicians and his name is forever tied to The University of Texas at Austin as a leader and a builder of our academic legacy in marketing and in advertising.
Dr. Cundiff was the most loyal and positive friend anyone could have. Never concerned with his own priorities and time, he was always a ready listener and an understanding advisor. His colleagues don’t remember ever having seen Dr. Cundiff in a somber or angry mood. His smile and sense of humor were pervasive and contagious. He was able to build a positive environment within an organization, no matter how many negative factors happened to exist. Dr. Cundiff was a brilliant faculty recruiter, hiring several faculty members who have become thought leaders in the marketing and advertising disciplines. Two of the assistant professors he hired became college presidents.
Dr. Cundiff died on November 8, 2006. He was the son of Harry Thomas and Martha Magdalene (Koltes) Cundiff. He married Margaret Wallace Stroud, (Peggy) on September 8, 1956. Ed Cundiff was preceded in death by his wife and life companion, Peggy (January 18, 2006). He is survived by his three sons: Richard Wallace (Rich), Gregory Edward (Greg), and Geoffrey William (Geoff). His children and grandchildren are his great legacy. He was extremely proud of them and they always had a close and affectionate relationship.
We will always be in debt to Dr. Edward Cundiff for all he has done for our two academic departments, The University of Texas, and the many graduate and undergraduate students that were fortunate enough to be under his tutelage. He was a great friend and an outstanding scholar in the tradition of this great University.