Jeff West, a Tireless Advocate for Downtown Dallas, Died Yesterday at 54

If you appreciate the signs of life that have sprouted downtown in recent years -- and anyone who loves this city does -- Jeff West is at least partly to thank. The 54-year-old, who died Monday, was a tireless advocate for downtown and the city. He headed the Sixth Floor...

By Eric Nicholson

May 22, 2012

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If you appreciate the signs of life that have sprouted downtown in recent years -- and anyone who loves this city does -- Jeff West is at least partly to thank.

The 54-year-old, who died Monday, was a tireless advocate for downtown and the city. He headed the Sixth Floor Museum for 11 years, the Dallas Theater Center for 5, and was a managing partner in Matthews Southwest, the firm that developed the Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel.

He also helped establish the Dallas International Film Festival.

Councilman Dwaine Caraway sent a eulogistic bereavement announcement to the City Council yesterday afternoon, praising West for helping revitalize downtown and for his volunteerism.

"It goes without saying that Jeff will be sorely missed and that his kindness and generosity will forever be remembered by the Citizenry of Dallas," Carraway wrote. "Words cannot express our sorrow at this time."

An official memorial service has yet to be announced, but one is well underway on his Facebook wall.

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