ive duty and at the ripe old age of 20, Jim was released from active duty as an Ensign in the Navy in 1946 at which time he joined the Trane Company, manufacturers of air conditioning/heating equipment as a sales engineering trainee. After earlier assignments, Jim was sent to Jackson, Mississippi to open a sales office for Trane. It was there that Jim met, wooed and then won the hand of Christine Magruder of a multi-generational Mississippi family heritage. They were married November 22, 1950 in St. Peter's Catholic Church, Jackson, Mississippi. Shortly after Jim and Christine's marriage, Jim was recalled to active duty by the Navy during the Korean War and served as engineering officer of a destroyer, the USS Miller (DD535), including duty in Korean waters. Upon release from active duty, Jim returned to the air conditioning industry where he enjoyed a successful career with The Trane Company and Sudebaker-Worthington Corporation, lastly as President of its Air Conditioning Division and Corporate Group Vice - President. During their career advancements, Jim, Christine and their growing family made their homes in Dallas, Texas, LaCrosse, WI, and Summit, NJ. In 1968 the family moved to Indianapolis, Indiana as Jim made a career change from an engineering products industry to becoming President and C.E.O. of Herff Jones Company, a manufacturer of class rings and other scholastic and graduation related products. During his tenure, Herff Jones achieved significant growth from a small, publicly held company to a national leader in its industry with multiple manufacturing plants and several thousand employees and sales representatives. Jim further initiated and personally directed Herff Jones' merger with Carnation Co. in 1973, its re-emergence as an independent company by virtue of a leveraged buyout from Nestle', S.A. in 1985 and later transfer of 100% ownership to its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan ("ESOP") which provided extra-ordinary financial benefit and security to thousands of Herff Jones employees and their families. Upon retirement from Herff Jones in 1995, Jim established a family partnership, for the purchase and operation of pine tree plantations in Florida and Georgia which planted over eight million pine trees. Jim was inducted into Georgia Tech's Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni in 1994 and was recognized as the 1998 Ernst & Young Indiana Entrepreneur of Year in the Master Category. He also received recognition in his "home town" with induction into the Bartow High School Hall of Fame and the Polk county Public Schools Hall of Fame. Jim along with Christine were awarded honorary doctorate (PhD) degrees by Marian University, Indianapolis on May 9, 2015. While working at his job and raising a large family was Jim's main focus, in his spare time, he managed to serve as co-chairman of the building committee of St. Luke Church, Indianapolis for construction of its new Sanctuary in 1981. He was also President of Mountain Lake Club, Lake Wales, Florida, a member of its Board of Directors and serviced as chairman of the building committee for its major renovation. While it was generally accepted among his friends that Jim preferred work to play, he enjoyed the camaraderie of the golf and bridge groups at Meridian hills Country Club and Mountain Lake. Fishing was his favorite recreational pastime when time and location permitted. Jim was a member of St. Luke Catholic Church, Indianapolis and Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Lak Wales. Jim, in concert with his wife, Christine, supported numerous charities through the years including the funding of permanent endowments for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, St. Luke Church and School, Indianapolis, St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana University Medical School, Mayo Clinic, The Church Services Center, Bartow, Florida, The Albert J. and Christine M. Hackl Endowment Fund f/b/o Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Lake Wales, Florida, The Hackl Family Endowment for Charity in Polk County, Florida and The Hackl Family Endowed Scholarship Fund at Marian University in Indianapolis and the Albert James and Christine Magruder Hackl Family Trust f/b/o the Church and Poor in the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi. The well being of the family was always Jim's priority and he took great pleasure in witnessing the strengthening bonds that developed among his children and grandchildren through the years. Ever thankful, Jim's oft stated view of himself was that he was "just a pretty fair salesman who got lucky." Visitation will be held on Wednesday, May 16, 2018 from 4-7 PM at Leppert Mortuary - Nora Chapel, 740 E. 86th Street, Indianapolis, IN. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, May 17, 2018 at 11:30 AM at St. Luke Catholic Church, 7575 Holliday Drive East, Indianapolis, IN. Contributions in his memory may be made to Marquette Manor or Little Sisters of the Poor. To share a memory, please visit www.leppertmorutary.com.