Deceased February 19, 2017
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50th Reunion Book Entry
In Memory
Jack Spencer died Feb. 19, 2016, peacefully in the company of his two loving daughters, Kathy and Ann Marie.
Roommate Fred Wood ’59 writes that Jack was a great guy, good-natured, good-humored, insightful, cheerful and fun to be with. He was truly the salt of the earth.
Jack was a daily student of The New York Times and a voracious reader in general. He took a non-credit speed-reading class at Mount Holyoke in which he doubled his speed from 1,000 words per minute to 2,000, along with an increased level of comprehension. He could read almost as fast as he could turn the pages.
Jack loved politics. Near the end of the 2016 campaign, he said he was so disturbed by the race that he had decided to stop watching TV and was only reading the newspaper.
Jack received master’s degrees in education and history. Over his 47-year career as an educator, he taught sociology in high school and served as a middle school principal. He and a fellow teacher developed the first high school curriculum in the country studying the Holocaust. His class program became a book published by Bantam, The Holocaust Reader. He retired as a revered teacher and mentor for generations of students. How lucky his students were to have had such a fine and caring teacher.
Jack was active in civic affairs in Stockbridge and served on numerous committees and boards, including the Town Planning Board (chairman), the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Stockbridge Library Board (president).
Jack was a devoted family man. He and his beloved wife, Judy, raised two daughters and were blessed with four grandchildren. Jack had a good life that was well-lived, and he was loved by many.
Fred Wood ’59
