Personal History
In 1977, Thornton and his son Andy (André Jr.) were injured in an automobile accident that took the life of his wife Gertrude and three-year old daughter Theresa Gertrude. In 1983 he wrote the book Triumph Born of Tragedy, which is an account of the accident and his Christian faith.
In 1979, Thornton married Gail Jones, a gifted singer and former member of The Jones Sisters Trio gospel group. In addition to André Jr., the couple have two other sons, Jonathan and Dean. Today, Thornton is a successful businessman. He is President and CEO of ASW Global, a supply chain management company.
Thornton continues to be involved in the Cleveland community. He sits on the Board of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, The Cleveland Zoological Society, and the Cuyahoga Community College Fund. He is a member of Leadership Cleveland. He is also involved with The First Tee of Cleveland Program, a golf program which is geared to provide youth with educational programs and facilities that promote character development. Finally, he is a member of the Board of Trustees of Nyack College.
In August 2007, he was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame along with Jim Bagby, Sr., Mike Garcia, and Charles Nagy. Thornton is also a member of the minor league Reading Phillies Hall of Fame.
Read more about this topic: Andre Thornton
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