Jack has volunteered as an architectural historian and educator for numerous preservation oriented nonprofits. And currently works with Restore Oregon on its Mid-Century Modern Tour. He has researched, created, and presented numerous lectures and walking tours on Portland’s historic architecture, including Terra Cotta buildings, Art Deco buildings, Storybook homes, Colonial and Greek Revivals, and on the legacy of specific local architects such as Pietro Belluschi, Saul Zaik, Van Evera Bailey, and builder/designers Kenneth Birkemeier and Robert Rummer.

Jack has been involved with architectural history nearly all of his life. As a child in Chicago Jack was precociously interested in all things “old.” He grew up in Chicago, exposed to some of the best architecture that America has ever produced. The history of Chicago is, in many ways, a history of architecture.

His background in higher education has reflected his dual interests in history and architecture, and the effort to combine the two. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Illinois in 1969, Masters of Urban Planning from San Jose State in 1976, and M.A. in History from Sonoma State University in 1988. Before relocating to Portland, most of Jack’s professional life was spent in and around Sonoma County, California, working as a Preservation Planner for various governmental entities.