April 17, 2009 at 07:34 AM

Memories of Jack from a former high school classmate

I first met Jack in 1937 when I entered Ridley Park High School my sphomore year. I commuted to Ridley Park from the town of Folcroft which was about 8-10 miles away. There were many days in that first year when I would visit with Jack at his home where we talked about music, airplanes, and other things teenagers talk about. Of course, I met Jack’s mother and father who soon became friends of my mother and father and would often visit each other. It was my first meetings with Jack when he invited me to see his collection of model airplanes which he assembled. When I went into his room, I could not believe what I saw. Hanging from the ceiling and resting on tables was a collection of model airplanes from WWI, both German and American planes.

Of course, we know that Jack played the piano and he was proficient in playing the tunes of the time — the jitterbug era of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, and others. I played the trumpet, but not as great as Jack played the piano. We played in a small dance band, which played gigs at high schools and even played at the New Years’ dance held by the American Legion Chapter in Chester, PA.

Jack and I, together with another classmate, enlisted in the Citizens Military Training Corps (CMTC) and spent 30 days in the summer at Camp Meade in Maryland and the following year 30 days training at Fortress Monroe in Virginia learning to fire large coastal defense cannons of that day. We even wore WWI uniforms when we were in training.

But, the main event of my life and I suspect of Jack’s life up to that time was the writing, directing, and producing an Operetta written by the two of us together with Jimmy Fasolas. The Title of the production was “The Protégé.” It was presented May 6, 1939 (our senior year) at the Ridley Park High School Auditorium. It involved a large cast of characters, a singing chorus and a dancing chorus, all consisting of students of Ridley Park High School. It was a 3 act musical with original songs based on a group of High School students going to New York with the lead character (the protégé) to try to get him a part in a New York Musical.

One of the unique things we included in the musical was having three young men preceed each act with a rhymic beat setting the stage for the act to follow. I really believe that this is the first time “rap” music appeared. Not that we knew then what rap music was!

The musical was a smashing success and gained some coverage from some local newspapers. I still have the playbill and I may even have the dialogue somewhere among my papers.

After graduating from Ridley Park, Jack and I parted company; he to Penn State and I to George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Although we kept in contact through Christmas cards and later Spring cards which my wife, Lee, created each Spring for more than 30 years, I followed Jack’s accomplishments as a writer of novels starting with the greatest of all, The Blue Max.

A year ago we contacted Jack and arranged to visit with him in his home in St. Augustine, FL as we travelled north to South Carolina to visit Lee’s mother.

The few hours we spent with Jack at his home and again at dinner at our hotel were probably the best hours of joy I have experienced in my 87 years of life. Ironically, I was born on June 3, 1921, just one day before Jack was born.

Of course, Jack will be missed, but his life was full of joy and love and, what more can a guy say who is just one day older than Jack?

God bless you, Jack.