Percy Tucker
{{Short description|South African ticket booking agent and author (1928–2021)}}
{{use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Percy Tucker
| birth_date = {{birth date|1928|07|10|df=y}}
| birth_place = Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa
| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|01|29|1928|07|10|df=y}}
| death_place = Cape Town, South Africa
| nationality = South African
| alma_mater = University of the Witwatersrand
| occupation = ticket booking agent and author
| known_for = pioneer of South African entertainment industry and launched world's first electronic theatre booking system.
| spouse =
| website = {{url|http://percytucker.com}}
}}
Percy Tucker (10 July 1928 – 29 January 2021) was a South African ticket booking agent and author. He launched the first electronic theatre booking system in the world in 1971.{{Cite web|last=Mikva |first=Keren |date=9 February 2017|title=17 Things You Didn't Know Were Invented By South Africans|url=https://moguldom.com/35226/17-things-didnt-realize-invented-by-south-africans/|access-date=2021-02-01|website=Moguldom|language=en-US}} He was regarded as a pioneer in the entertainment industry of South Africa. He was also nicknamed as South Africa's ticket master.{{Cite web|last=Eloff|first=Herman|title=Remembering Percy Tucker – South Africa's ticket master|url=https://www.news24.com/arts/culture/remembering-percy-tucker-south-africas-ticket-master-20210130|access-date=2021-02-01|website=Arts24|language=en-US}}
Early life and education
Percy Tucker was born on 10 July 1928, in Benoni, Gauteng. His family lived across the street from Benoni Town Hall and at the age of 10 he rented the lounge suite of his family home to a touring theatre company, receiving tickets to their production in exchange.{{cite news |title=In the Zone with MWEB Entrepreneur: The best seats in the house... |url=https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/626/99320.html |work=Biz Community |date=30 August 2013 |language=en}} He completed his primary education at the Benoni High School and pursued his higher education at the University of the Witwatersrand where he obtained his B. Com. In 1942, he became a backstage worker and later served as stage manager at the East Rand Theatre Club.{{Cite web|first=Andiswa|last=Ngenyane|title=Computicket Founder Percy Tucker Dies|url=https://www.dailysun.co.za/Celebs/computicket-founder-percy-tucker-dies-20210131|access-date=2021-02-01|work=Daily Sun |date=31 January 2021}}
Career
In 1954, he opened Show Service which was eventually the first South African professional theatre office in Johannesburg.{{Cite web|first=Olebogeng |last=Motse|date=30 January 2021|title='Just the Ticket': Tributes pour in for Computicket founder Percy Tucker|url=https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/computicket-founder-percy-tucker-passes-away-covid/|access-date=2021-02-01|work=The South African|language=en-ZA}} It was also the first centralised ticket-booking agency in South Africa. His decision to pursue his professional career as a ticket seller did not go well with his father as he was not pleased to see his son doing such a meander job after graduating from university.
Tucker travelled to the United States in 1969, looking for a computerised means of handling inventory. He and other investors purchased the Computicket software and an IBM System/360 Model 50.{{cite book |last1=Budnick |first1=Dean |last2=Baron |first2=Josh |title=Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped |date=2012 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-101-58055-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zRtSI84258EC&dq=%22Percy%20Tucker%22%20just%20the%20ticket&pg=PA1953 |language=en}} In 1971, Tucker launched Computicket which was the world's first full-fledged operative computerised, centralised ticket booking system which drastically changed the fortunes in the global entertainment industry. It also changed the complexion of the marketing strategy of entertainment tickets worldwide.{{Cite web|title=End of an era for entertainment industry, say Computicket founder's family|url=https://ewn.co.za/2021/01/31/end-of-an-era-for-entertainment-industry-say-computicket-founder-s-family|access-date=2021-02-01|date=31 January 2021|work=Eyewitness News|language=en}}
He retired in 1994 after serving as CEO of Computicket since its inception. After his retirement, he focused on his autobiography titled Just the Ticket - My 50 Years in Show Business about the history of South African theatre. It was published in 1997.
Later life and death
Tucker was partner to Graham Dickason for 50 years until his death in November 2020.{{cite news |title=Founder of Computicket, Percy Tucker, 92, dies |url=https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/267689918/founder-of-computicket-percy-tucker-92-dies |work=Big News Network |date=30 January 2021 |language=en}} Tucker himself died from complications of COVID-19 on 29 January 2021, at the age of 92, during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa.{{Cite web|title=Computicket founder Percy Tucker dies from COVID-19 complications|url=https://ewn.co.za/2021/01/30/computicket-founder-percy-tucker-dies-from-covid-19-complications|date=30 January 2021|access-date=2021-02-01|work=Eyewitness News|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Founder of Computicket, Percy Tucker, 92, dies|url=https://www.news24.com/channel/the-juice/news/founder-of-computicket-percy-tucker-92-dies-20210130|access-date=2021-02-01|website=channel24|date=30 January 2021}}{{Cite web|first= Maxwell |last=Maseko |date=30 January 2021|title=Computicket founder Percy Tucker passes away|url=https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/computicket-founder-percy-tucker-passes-away/|access-date=2021-02-01|work=SABC News|language=en-US}}
References
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Category:South African writers
Category:People from Benoni, South Africa
Category:White South African people