Jack’s work ethic was his most notable quality. Whether you ask people at work, at home, or at the rink, everyone knew how hard he worked. However, Jack’s work ethic is not what separated himself from everyone else. It was his ability to work hard to benefit others that truly separated him from everyone else. This is the mark of a great leader, self-sacrifice for the advancement of the team. As a coach, Jack gave up a tremendous amount of time and resources for the Amherst hockey team and Elyria Youth Hockey program. A great example is, Jack would often find himself with a tough decision while driving down the turnpike after work. Does he head north up state route 57 where he can spend time with family, eat a warm meal, and relax. Or does he head south where he can donate his time to kids in the community. For over 20 years things such as fatigue, weather, or long hours at work rarely deterred him. Even after a long practice you would often find him in the locker room with a whiteboard because an hour and a half was not always long enough to build a road of success for his players. When December rolled in, Jack was always faced with another tough decision. Does he give up all his vacation time in exchange for spending more time at the rink? The answer was always yes. That means no trips down south for the winter. Just trips to the ice rink to help turn kids into successful men and women. So if you want to live like Jack, you have to have the ability to sacrifice your own resources in order to build roads that will allow everyone around you to be successful.

Jack held quality and integrity in high regard. Jack's supervisors, peers, and employees noted that he always had clean, well maintained job sites. Whether it was the turnpike or private companies, Jack was often given the jobs that required high amounts of oversight. His attention to detail and unwavering regard to quality ensured that he was best to bear those types of jobs.

This was true for Amherst Hockey as well. Jack always expected the highest quality performance from his players. This helped foster a culture of "it isn't about winning, it's about how you win." Whether the team was beating an SWC opponent by 5 or 6 goals or losing to a top team in the state by 1 or 2 goals, Jack was consistently working with his players to improve their performance. He would always remind the players, "if you don't put in the work now, if you don't play the right ways now, think what will happen when you play in the championship game." So if you want to live like Jack, you must always be working to improve the quality of your work and you must do it with integrity.

This is the quality that Jack admired most. In fact, he really despised a large ego. Someone could know Jack for years before they would find out that he had multiple college degrees, that he had a high school state championship in hockey, that he had another high school state championship in golf, or that he was an incredible artist (thanks to his degree in architecture). It seemed like no matter what Jack would put his mind to, awards were soon to follow. But you usually had to talk to his friends and family to find out. It would not be a surprise if many of you reading this were hearing about some of these accolades for the first time. Jack believed that a person should find enjoyment in the work that they do, not in the rewards that might come after. Humility is an absolute requirement to receive this scholarship. If you want to live like Jack, you must live with humility.