Jesus Arturo Macias Jr.
Jesus Arturo “Art” Macias Jr., 40, passed away March 20, 2012, after a nine-month battle with cancer. He was born Jan. 4, 1972, in Chihuahua, Mexico, to Jesus Arturo Macias Sr. and Shirley Urquijo.
Art was one of a kind. He was raised in Douglas, Ariz., and was involved in various sports, academic, church and social activities and received many awards for his service there, including the Carlson Cup for outstanding senior and National Honor Society. As a young man, he was the Douglas director of community and economic development, a member of Phi Kappa Psi and lieutenant governor of the Key Club.
Art received his undergraduate degree in economics from Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass, received the international Rotary scholarship to study abroad and attended the prestigious Ecole Superieure de Sciences Economiques Et Commerciales in Paris, France, where he received a master’s in international economics.
Art had a distinguished career in public service. In 2009, he was appointed chief of staff of the TSA by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in Washington, D.C. Previously, he was director of the Arizona Lottery and director of Arizona Dept. of Weights and Measures.
Throughout his life, Art was recognized for his leadership. He was named one of Arizona's "40 under 40" by both the Phoenix Business Journal and the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He served on the board of directors of Goodwill Industries of Central Arizona, was a founding board member of the Arizona Latino Research Enterprise (ALRE) and also chaired the board of directors of the Border Trade Alliance (BTA).
Art loved music, travel, life and most of all, family and friends. His accomplishments were many, but he captured everyone's heart with his incredible smile. Art felt that his greatest accomplishment was his and his wife Gabriella's son, Arturo III, and throughout his courageous battle, he consistently cared more about the well-being of others.
