I met Jack at the Gengras Student Center at the University of Hartford in 1973. He was somewhat of a legend on campus since graduating in 1970 and when I saw him sitting and people watching, I mustered up some courage and made my way over to him to introduce myself. We had some mutual friends so it was an easy way to start a conversation. We met up again the next day and my friend and I agreed to give him a ride to his family home in Durham. Along the way he talked about his music and asked us a lot of questions about school, our goals etc...I gave him my address when we dropped him off and about a year later he wrote me a postcard from Germany where he was touring. We both ended up in New York at the same time and our paths crossed again several times, once right on West 4th Street as he was making his way to Folk City.

I moved away in 1977 and never saw him again. I got married, had three kids and only came into the city a couple of times of year. A few years ago, I sent him an email when I had read about his brother dying in the World Trade Center disaster. He wrote me back immediately and apologized for not having kept in touch over the years. Jack was one of kind...he never forgot his friends and always made time to make new ones. His music was his life and passion. I always envied his ability to know exactly what he wanted to do with his life the minute he graduated from college. We all struggled to find our way but Jack knew what he wanted and did it.

He'll be missed by many and may his music live on forever.