Beverly Thackerson, a founding member of Promotional Products Association Southwest (PPAS), passed away on September 24. She was 88.

A native of Ennis, TX, Thackerson spent more than 30 years in the industry, working for a number of distributors.

Deby Warner, owner of Just Imagine (asi/237917), said that Thackerson was her mentor. “Before I started in this industry, I was a bartender for 14 years,” Warner says. “Beverly taught me how to dress and how to handle clients. When she retired, she actually handed her clients off to me to make sure they still received that personal touch. It’s the most flattering thing anyone has ever done for me.”

Thackerson is survived by her husband Elmer (“Pete”) and her daughters Gaye and Melinda.

Her visitation will be held at Harrell Memorial Chapel in Dublin, TX, on September 28 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Her funeral service will be the following day at Harrell Memorial Chapel beginning at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.