Jack grew up in Plainfield, N.J., and prepared for Princeton at Lawrenceville. During World War II he served as a fighter pilot in the Marine Corps in the Pacific.
He returned to Princeton to receive his bachelor’s degree in 1948. He then studied at Columbia for a graduate degree but was recalled for service in Korea, retiring as a lieutenant colonel after eight years of active duty.
In 1953, Jack married Barbara Buttfield and raised his family in Kent, Conn., for 30 years before moving to New Haven.
A fiercely independent man, Jack was known as a patriot, a gentleman, a great debater, and a man of honor. He taught classical languages, wrote and published a novel, informed people about wines, and in later years, enjoyed working as a supervisor for the New Haven Parking Authority.
He was predeceased by Barbara, but is survived by his two daughters, Diana and Nancy, and two grandsons. The class expresses its sympathy to the family.