Texas leaders and the business community are mourning the loss of Joe Kirven, a Dallas businessman and entrepreneur that served under a Texas governor and two United States presidents, who recently passed away at the age of 90.
State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) shared the news of Kirven’s passing on his Facebook page.
“I humbly acknowledge the passing of servant leader and community icon, Joe Kirven,” West wrote in thepost.
The Arlington Black Chamber of Commerce also expressed their condolences on social media.
“#RIP Joe Kirven, former Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce President. #Respect,” the organization wrote on their Facebook page.
Kirven’s family released a statement about his passing. According to the information they shared on Facebook, Kirven died on July 5. His surviving family members considered him the “patriarch for the last generation,” who was well respected both in Texas and across the country.
“For all of us, ‘growing up Kirven’ throughout our families was a steady dose of what it meant to be a Kirven, to know the legacy of the Kirven family in Texas. But Joe always took it to another dimension for all of us, as he continued to instill and demonstrate that Kirven values held higher expectations,” his family wrote in their statement. “With every opportunity he had, he inspired what our family truly has meant in and to Texas within all of us. We are so proud of the legacy that he leaves us as a successful Dallas businessman and entrepreneur.”
Kirven served as an assistant to former Texas Gov. William Clements in the late 1970s. According to his family, he also was an advisor to former Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter.
His family said he was a mentor to them all and he’ll be missed.
He is survived by his wife Gloria Foster Kirven and daughter Josette Kirven Valtierra. His family said services are pending.