San Francisco real estate developer Sarosh Kumana (TPR'77) has donated a sculpture in honor of John (Jack) R. Thorne (TPR'52), the David T. and Lindsay J. Morgenthaler Emeritus Professor of Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business. Colorado artist Bobbie Carlyle created the bronze statue, titled "Self-Made Man," which was presented during the Donald H. Jones Center for Entrepreneurship's Advisory Board meeting this past winter.
As founding director of the Donald H. Jones Center for Entrepreneurship, Thorne played a vital role in the center's 1990 launch and subsequent rise to national prominence. The John R. Thorne Chair of Entrepreneurship was endowed in 1997 by alumni and friends who recognized and applauded Thorne's unique contributions to the Tepper School and the field of entrepreneurship.
Thorne has received numerous academic and professional honors over the years, including the business school's George Leland Bach Teaching Award (1981), the Financial Services Advocate of the Year award from the Small Business Administration (1988), the Entrepreneur of the Year award from Arthur Young and Inc. magazine (1989), and the business school’s Special Award for Sustained Teaching Excellence in the MBA Program (2003).
"Professor Thorne inspired us so that we dared to dream, and he gave us the tools to remake ourselves into entrepreneurs," said Kumana, president of Pacific Investment Properties.
The 29-inch sculpture depicts a male figure wielding a hammer and chisel as he sculpts his own form. "This piece is an appropriate symbol of entrepreneurship," said Thorne, who noted that the sculpture relates to the entrepreneur's quest to build a venture from his own hands and vision.
Thorne said he was surprised when notified of the gift to the school and relayed his appreciation to the center's advisory board and invited guests at the presentation.
The sculpture has been placed in Posner Hall, home of the Tepper School.
