James J. Eyster ’69

Jim’s life journey is the gold standard for human beings who inspired others. He was a life-long learner who was always seeking a better way forward, a gentle mentor to all who wanted to impact others by lifting their aspirations, an educator who taught the next generations of leaders how to lead in hospitality and related industries as well as in society.

While these three characteristics are separately found in others, Jim embodied all three simultaneously as he fulfilled his life’s purpose.  The following information and stories from professional colleagues remind those of us who knew about his endearing and powerful sense of humanity.

Jim retired in 1999 but continued to keep in touch with his students. They returned the favor by nominating him to carry the 2002 Olympic Torch through Seneca Falls, New York, on Dec. 31, 2001, on the way to the Olympics in Utah.

Jim’s wide-ranging influence has been felt as he fulfilled his life’s purpose. Jim taught courses in financial management and real estate. He followed politics closely and was very concerned about the social and political injustices of the world as well as with human pain and suffering. To make a difference, he courageously initiated the course entitled Housing and Feeding the Homeless. He received a Chaired Professorship, the HVS Professor of Hotel Finance and Real Estate and became a Professor Emeritus at the Hotel School upon his retirement. His Ph.D. centered on a study of hotel management contracts and evolved into worldwide consulting work, and he was sought after by many of the leading hotel owners and management companies. His book, “The Negotiation and Administration of Hotel and Restaurant Management Contracts,” has become the go-to book for the industry. His consulting work led to a longstanding relationship with the United States National Park Service, which held a special place in Professor Eyster’s heart. He loved nature and the outdoors. He served as the chair for ten years of the National Park Service’s Concessions Management Advisory Board.

One of the gems from Jim’s Cornell Archive is the following, entitled “All Anyone Needs to Know About Finance, Ever”.

A Cornell faculty member since 1972, Eyster is credited with creating an entirely new area of study – with his exploration and analysis of hotel management contracts – then writing the authoritative book on the subject.

Jan A. de Roos ’78, who collaborated with Eyster on the fourth edition of that book, “The Negotiation and Administration of Hotel Management Contracts,” calls Eyster “the intellectual father of hospitality real estate management.” De Roos, SHA associate professor and the HVS Professor of Hotel Finance and Real Estate, said, “Jim Eyster was known for his warmth and integrity,” adding, “He always took the high ground.”

Glenn Withiam, executive editor of the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly explained that by the 1960s hotel management contracts between property owners and management companies were becoming “remarkably complex and detailed, and Professor Eyster realized the importance of compiling and analyzing their diverse terms.”

Withiam pointed to Eyster’s “astonishing accomplishment of persuading several hundred hotel owners, operators, financial partners and consultants to share the terms of their management contracts, as well as their experiences with and concerns about those contracts.

“This was no mean feat in an industry as competitive as the hotel business,” Withiam said. “The fact that they were willing to provide this information to Professor Eyster demonstrates the trust he earned from his contacts, and the fact that this book continues in print testifies to the importance of this research.”  The book was first published in 1977 by the School of Hotel Administration, with subsequent editions in 1980, 1988 and 2009.

One of Professor Eyster’s long standing colleagues, Professor Emeritus Neal Geller ’64 says: “The best thing I can say for Jim’s tribute statement is that he was a consummate Cornellian—as a student, graduate student, and faculty member. As a faculty member, he was demanding yet caring for his students. Their love for him showed. As a colleague, he was caring, supportive, and wonderful to work with. As a friend, he was caring, concerned, and incredibly reliable. I will miss him greatly.”

Another long-term colleague, Professor Emeritus Michael Redlin says: “I remember Jim as a principled and caring man. He lived his principles throughout his life by such activities as being a Boy Scout leader to his son, Jamie, and other young men and creating at SHA the innovative course “Housing and Feeding the Homeless.” This course was renowned for applying the tenets of hospitality to a nationally important cause. He cared about his students because he knew the importance of them having significant impacts on their generation. He maintained an extensive and active network of past students with whom he shared his wisdom and passion for life. He will be missed by many spread far and wide around the world.”

Ann Hales, N.P., Ph.D., who co-taught with Jim for many years, remembers him as a mentor and colleague. At the top of Jim Eyster’s overwhelming number of achievements and his admirable character traits were his commitment to excellence and his dedication to helping others also achieve success and excellence.  I worked in academia for over 30 years, and I saw no other person dedicate himself or herself to the success of others as much as Jim did.  He made certain that others received first credit for scholarly work that he had completed with them.  I was fortunate to have been a colleague of Jim’s during the height of the Housing and Feeding the Homeless Program in the School of Hotel Administration.  It was my first academic position and Jim mentored me the entire way and made certain that I was the first author and received the first credit for all the academic work that we did.  Jim was passionate about the Homeless Program and showed a heartfelt concern for colleagues, students, community leaders, and individuals struggling to obtain adequate food and housing.  The Homeless Program was his creation, and his leadership was admirable and unprecedented.  I am so proud to be able to say that Jim was my friend.

De Roos also remembered this prescient addition by Eyster to the School of Hotel Administration curriculum: a course on the housing and feeding of homeless people. Administrators and some faculty members of the nation’s pre-eminent hospitality education institution were a bit unsettled, at first, de Roos recalled, “but the students cherished that class and the man who taught it.”

He also recalls Jim’s impact on him.  “Jim and I first met when I was a freshman at Cornell, in the fall of 1972.  It was Jim’s “rookie” year, a freshly scrubbed assistant professor teaching accounting to a class who would become friends and colleagues for life.  I “earned” a C in accounting, a tough course for me.  But I did learn many important lessons in Jim’s course – both the mysteries of the “three statements” and how the numbers moved from one statement to another as well as the importance of thinking clearly and accurately.

Little did I know that first semester with Jim would be the spark for my academic career, following his advice as my master’s thesis advisor and then as chair on my PhD committee, where he continually challenged me to see the forest by coming to understand the role of each tree within the larger forest.  I am indebted to Jim in many ways; as my teacher, as my mentor, as my co-author, as a trusted advisor, as an inspiration; but most importantly, I counted him as a friend.”

Professor Tadayuki Hara MPS ’91, PhD ’04, University of Central Florida and one of Jim’s former PhD students, recalls Jim’s impact in Japan and on him. Professor Jim Eyster is not only well-known in the USA, but also overseas.  Different Japanese entities invited him to visit Japan multiple times, and while I was involved, he was invited to give lectures, seminars, speeches in different part of Japan. He talked about hotel management contracts, valuations of hotels, and general hotel management issues in cities including Tokyo, Osaka, Nagasaki, and Kofu.

“I took his course in 1989, and then became his teaching assistant for HA323, hotel valuation course in 1990 and 1991, in my second year of MPS. After completing my MPS I went back to Japan to work for a Japanese bank, while I served as executive secretary for the Cornell Hotel Society, basically service work for senior alumni, such as Mr. Ichiro Inumaru ’53 and Mr. Yuji Yamaguchi ’61.

I had multiple pleasures of taking care of SHA faculty in Japan, and naturally I took Professor Eyster out for meetings and sometimes for personal trips during off-duty days.

Once I took him to the mountainous part of Fukushima Prefecture, about 200 miles north of Tokyo. He was an early riser in the morning, so we walked along the small village of Nango.  Suddenly there was a moment that he became exceptionally curious about a sound, which sounded like metal hitting something. “Tad, let’s walk to find out what the sound was”.  After a few minutes, we saw villagers, mostly local tomatoes farmers, in perfectly fitting classic uniforms and playing baseball before 07:00am; the two teams started to line up at both sides of the home base in two lines, facing each other, then took off caps and bowed to each other at the end of the game.  I saw the happiest facial expression of Professor Eyster, who had by chance discovered a baseball game in the middle of Fukushima.”

One of Jim’s unsung contributions is to all Americans, his service to the National Park Service.  Kurt Rausch, Chief of the NPS Commercial Services Program says: “Dr. Eyster provided invaluable service to National Park Service.  Between 2005 and 2014 he volunteered as member and chairman of the Congressionally authorized NPS Concessions Management Advisory Board. Jim uniquely combined his love of national parks and his expert industry knowledge to help the NPS make fundamental improvements in how they deliver hospitality and recreational services to hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Under his chairmanship, the National Park Service streamlined and improved practices in areas ranging from contracting and leasehold surrender interest valuation to rate administration and performance standards and evaluation. The Board’s annual report to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate on its accomplishments was instrumental in demonstrating the National Park Service’s commitment to always improving for the U.S. public. Throughout his time of service to the NPS, Dr. Eyster embodied the spirt of Cornell University through his level of commitment, excellence, generousness of time and advice and his good nature. To this day, the National Park Service, its hospitality providers and its visitors benefit from Dr Eyster’s contributions to helping the NPS meet its mission to conserve, preserve and protect its most precious natural and cultural resources and provide enjoyment now and for future generations.”

Commenting on Jim’s contributions to the Hotel Industry, long time Marriott executive William “Bill” Minnock ’79, MBA ’83 says: “Jim’s cutting-edge work on management contracts and real estate development helped to guide the strategies of virtually all of the major hotel companies such as Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, etc. for decades.  Industry executives sought out and respected his insights and ultimately his work changed the structure of the hospitality industry, not just for the hotel companies but also for new sources of capital from REITs and Private Equity firms.  His efforts clearly positioned Cornell Hotel School graduates as the leaders of both public and private hotel companies around the world.”  Jim Butler, Chairman and Founder of JMBM’s global hospitality law practice says: “Jim Eyster was a wonderful, warm, caring human being with a great sense of humor who never took himself too seriously. It was always a pleasure to work with him on client challenges. He always made timely and insightful suggestions. He certainly “wrote the book” on hotel management agreements!”

Jim’s induction into the Cornell Hotel Society’s Hall of Fame is a tribute to the contribution he made to the lives of the many who he touched.  My introductory story is but one “tree” in the “forest” of Jim’s devotion to making a difference in the lives of others.  He inspired us all to embrace our better instincts and be intentional in improving both our own and other lives.  He embraced the noble spirit of service to others as an act of kindness and grace, he walked the path of peace.

Jim inspired us all to be better, he is missed.  May he rest in peace.

Link to Jim’s Obituary: James Eyster Obituary (2015) – Lansing, NY – Ithaca Journal (legacy.com)

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Prepared September 12, 2023 by Jan deRoos, Editing assistance from Michael Redlin