Jack was a force of nature
Thank you for mentioning Model Railroad Planning 1995, Blair. That issue led to my meeting Jack, and joining his operating crew pool, which is what ultimately kept me in the hobby.
In 1995, I had reached hobby burn-out. When the MRP article on Jack's fiddle yard was published, something clicked-- the way his model railroad was set up and operated just seemed right to me. It turned out that one of the people pictured in the article was someone who I had talked with several times over related prototype and hobby interests. Through him, I managed to get an invitation to an operating session in early 1996. The experience completely changed how I approached the hobby.
Jack was still working as an engineer for CN at the time. As a working rail, he took the prototype rule book seriously and applied that to his model railroad as well. He also didn't suffer fools gladly. If you came to his sessions, it was to play by prototypical rules, and once you'd been there a few times, you wouldn't be cut much slack. This is the era that gave Jack a drill sergeant reputation. Still, if you showed that you were trying to play the game by the house rules (which came from a 1962 GTW rule book that he'd provide), and were willing to put up with his occasional expressions of frustration, it was a genuine education in railroading, without the real-world risks and aggravations. His expectations were high once you'd been there a while, but then again, you were running alongside other crews who were people who did this work for a living. Of course, two minutes after him chewing out someone who'd violated a rule and who Jack thought really should have known better, you'd see him making "chug-chug" noises while running a steam pusher up through Mahoosic Notch. Back then he was running CTC-80, which had no sound.
As people got to know Jack and interacted with him as someone other than the Superintendent of the Atlantic Great Eastern, they discovered that he was a loyal friend. And he inspired similar loyalty in return. As a result, the AGE is supported by a group of very talented friends with skills in all aspects of the hobby, stretching across an area from southern Ohio all the way through much of Michigan and northern Indiana and to the northern suburbs of Chicago. As an example, when he migrated from CTC-80 to NCE control about ten years ago, over a dozen of us took various roles in making wiring changes to the railroad, installing sound decoders in 50 locomotives, and working out radio receiver placement through trial and error and error. There's a good article to be written on what we learned from that experience, one of these days.
Jack mellowed over the years, especially once he retired in 2004. He had a life-long fascination with steam-era railroading and participated in a good number of steam photo charters across the country. He didn't care for computers at all, and only grudgingly switched to a digital SLR when it was became too difficult for him to source 35mm film and processing. If you were on a road trip with Jack, he had a strong preference for taking the old US highways, and avoiding the freeways when it was possible, so you'd factor that into the plans.
The AGE wasn't necessarily a gray-haired old men's club. Several high-schoolers in the area who'd heard about the railroad and knew someone on the regular call board came by, proved their interest in prototypical operation and joined the seniority roster over the years. Jack was a good instructor.
Jack only learned of his cancer around two months ago. We were devastated by the news. A few arranged with his nurses for him to see a (well-spaced) gathering of about 40 holding posters and bringing cards outside of his hospital window about three weeks ago. He was truly touched. I, sadly, was unable to attend his funeral this week, but according to those who did, the turn-out was substantial.
Jack was a force of nature in the hobby. His tutelage inflluenced a large number of model railroads in a positive way, several of which you have read of in the hobby press, and many that you probably have not. He gave me the definitive answer to the question "What do you do once you have finished building a layout?" You operate it as a railroad.
But more importantly to me than that, for 24 years I was privileged to call him my friend.