Max Edward Tonkon, R.I.P. 1927 - 2023
Issues
WINTER 2024
MAX EDWARD TONKON
R.I.P.
1927-2023
It is with regret that we learned of the death of Max Edward Tonkon on September
27, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. He was 96.
Max was a long-time Board member of the American Council for Judaism and was
committed to a Judaism of universal moral and ethical values, free of
nationalism.
He was a Board member of Temple Emanu-El in Dallas and chairman of its Cemetery
Committee for many years. He was a founder and co-chairman of the Society of
Classical Reform Judaism, now known as Roots of Reform Judaism.
Max had a lifelong love of sports. At Highland Park High School in Dallas, he
played varsity football and became manager of the varsity baseball team. Later,
he coached his sons’ teams at the YMCA.
Max graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. After college, he enlisted
in the U. S. Army. As a commissioned officer, Max deployed to Germany during the
Korean Conflict and rose to the rank of Captain. He joined his father, I. Edward
Tonkon, also an active member of the American Council for Judaism, in the Tonkon
Millinery Co., which became the largest millinery business in the country. For
many years, Max was on the Board of the Texas Retailers Association and served in
a similar capacity on many similar groups in Texas and beyond.
We extend our condolences to Max’s family, including his sons I. Edward Tonkon
II, and Charles Gamm Tonkon, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Max, who
was a pleasant and gracious presence in any room he entered, will be missed by
many. *
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