Jack was born in Chicago in 1931 and graduated Hyde Park High School in 1949. An athelete all his life, Jack spent most of his youth in the YMCA. After high school he worked a number of jobs including cab driver and narrow-gauge train operator. But it was his job as a waiter in Chicago Local 25 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union that launched his career.
Jack worked his way up through the union, first in Chicago, then at the national offices in Cincinnati and finally in Washington D.C. as General Vice President of HEREIU. He oversaw the consolidation of the international union, establishment of the pension fund and the relocation of the headquarters to Washington D.C. Jack took an early retirement in 1988 to become a trustee and National Director of the union pension and welfare fund.
In 1957 while still in Chicago, Jack married a young nurse, Collette Knight and they had one son in 1962. Collette’s family was from rural Missouri, and it was through them that Jack developed his love of fishing and the outdoors. He was particularly fond of adventure and travel including diving in Belize, touring New Zealand and fishing from Newfoundland to the Amazon.
Jack is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Patricia, and by his granddaughters Katherine and Elizabeth. The family will have a private ceremony. Those wishing to pay their respects are encouraged to donate to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.
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