John Vinson Roach ’61 (MBA ’65), born in 1938, died March 20 at 83.

His many accomplishments include becoming one of the youngest CEOs in the U.S. when he took on the role at Tandy Corp. in 1981. Two years later, Roach was named chair of the Fort Worth-based company, the parent of RadioShack.

“He was a doer who made things happen by using his business success to help the city, to help TCU and to help others,” said longtime friend Dee J. Kelly Jr. “Having the honors college named after him was one of the highlights of his career.”

When Roach was 4, his family relocated to Fort Worth from his native Stamford, Texas, just north of Abilene. As a schoolkid, he would sweep floors, work the cash register and stock shelves at the small grocery store his father ran. 

Roach studied physics and math at TCU and earned a master’s degree from the Neeley School of Business. 

Soon after graduating, he joined Tandy as a data processing manager. His rise through the company ranks dovetailed with the emergence of computing. He was on the forefront of the microprocessor and the ensuing tech revolution.

During his time at Tandy, Roach earned a reputation for spotting talent. That perception only grew in the late 1970s and early 1980s when he hired two young coders, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, to design software for one of the first personal computers.

“John’s vision and his ability to get early computers, like the TRS-80, into people’s hands through RadioShack made him one of the true pioneers of this industry,” Gates said. 

In 1990 Roach was elected chair of TCU’s Board of Trustees. He spearheaded the 1990s Project, credited with steering the university into the new millennium. Solid fiscal management and sound growth became his touchstones. 

John Roach was CEO of the Fort Worth-based Tandy Corp., parent company of RadioShack. Photo by Amy Peterson

“His leadership of the Board of Trustees and university during a time of unprecedented change and growth has made TCU the top national university is it today,” said Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. “Personally, Megan and I will be forever indebted to him for bringing us to Fort Worth and TCU 19 years ago.”

The university launched the John V. Roach Honors College in 2009 with an endowment from Paul and Judy Andrews, who asked to name the college after their longtime friend. 

“The students in the honors college are so smart, and they have the talent to achieve a lot and the motivation to do it,” Roach told TCU Magazine in November 2020. 

Roach wasn’t content merely to have his name attached to the college. 

Rob Garnett, associate dean and honors professor of social sciences, recalled that after the 2016 presidential election, Roach became concerned with what he saw as a growing trend among young people to embrace socialism. He wanted TCU to offer a course that provided students with a positive view of capitalism.

Garnett and Samuel Arnold, associate professor of political science, proposed an honors colloquium on capitalism and socialism in which students would learn the strongest arguments for both systems. Roach endowed the course.

“Our spring 2022 students are dedicating their end-of semester presentations to Mr. Roach, who more than anything wanted students to exercise and appreciate their personal freedom, including the freedom to think for themselves about economic and political issues,” Garnett said.

Roach is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Jean Wiggin Roach ’66, who Kelly described as a true partner in his civic and TCU-related endeavors. Other survivors include the couple’s daughters, Amy Roach Bailey ’89 and Lori Roach Davis ’96.