Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.1
JACK REPCHECK January 13, 1957-October 14, 2015
Life, if well lived, is long enough. Lucius Annacus Seneca
I met Jack Repcheck in 5th grade at Streams Elementary School, Upper
St. Clair, Pittsburgh, PA. His family had just moved in from Mt. Lebanon. It
was 1967. The way he told it, he noticed me on the kickball field during
recess because, “Annie you were a killer at kickball!” (I guess I had the eye
of the tiger.) I played like a boy and was always picked first for his team
when Jack was Captain.
We went on to be classmates at Boyce Middle School where, truth be
told, he was one of the first boys I ever kissed, playing spin the bottle with:
Greg Hough, Kurt Radke, Jeff Thompson, Cindy Aspiotes, Lisa Galbreath,
Julie Bozzo and Leslie Christ. The game was interrupted when Mr. Aspiotes
drove up the circle drive in his painting truck, got out and started yelling for
Cindy. It was a close call.
We remained classmates all through grade school, middle school and high
school, the class of 1975. We followed each other to Penn State class of
1979. He was a history major and brother at Phi Psi. I was a theater major
and GDI! (Gosh Darn Independent)
We remained close all these years and when out of touch we merely
picked up the conversation where we left off. He was a groomsman in
weddings that I sang in including Jeff and Jocelyn Thompson.
When I stopped singing for a while from severe depression, Jack cheered
me on. “Annie, you gotta keep singing! You are good as those gals on
Broadway. Don’t give up.”
When Richard Hughes was in Manhattan on business, we three would
start off with a drink at The Four Seasons and then a fancy dinner
somewhere thanks to Richard whom only Jack called Dickie!
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.2
We also always caught up at our USC Class Reunions. I especially
remember our 20th at St. Clair Country Club in 1995. Jack was single again
for a while and came most especially to see Kathy Walsh whom he still had
a huge crush on. I called it his show-mance since he and Kathy were in the
musical The Fantastiks senior year. Unbeknownst to all but a few, Kathy
came to the reunion to say goodbye because she was ill. She was one of the
first of us to pass on.
Then the USC Alumni choir reunions began in 2012 and Jack and I grew
even closer. He was a part of the 2013 Christmas Choir Reunion Concert at
St. Thomas More church and our July 2015 reunion and concert in our high
school auditorium. Right after the concert he came up to me and whispered,
“Hey Annie. You were holding back on your solo at the dress rehearsal
today weren’t you?” I admitted I was. Then he said, “I knew it. But you hit it
outta the park tonight! Good job!”
It was the last time most of us saw him and we will remember him
beaming because he was singing, playing his guitar, being social director
and leading the sing-alongs til 2 in the morning. He even charmed the
manager of the Crown Plaza for a case of wine, extra beer and a move to the
lower lobby where we were able to continue singing into the early morning
and not wake the other guests.
We have that on video on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/100005457241919/videos/382852581906647/
He led us the night before in his favorite songs including the ones sung at
his memorial and his all time fave, Wagonwheel!
On Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/cajackman/videos/vb.1636632927/10206732876
633988/?type=2&theater
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.3
Jack was looking forward to our Class of 75 Reunion in Pittsburgh this past
September, 2015 and up until he got sick was planning the next round of
sing-alongs with Chris Regan Rause. A group of us were poised to skip the
reunion to meet in New Hope to visit him at the hospital but Jack seemed to
rally a bit and his doctors asked for no visitors so he could rest. But we were
thrilled that Jack’s Irish Twin, Kevin, joined us and filled in.
But wait! There’s more! My future husband Dr. Charles Holt knew Jack
before he met me in 2001. That’s right. Jack was the editor of my future
husband’s first book on Experimental Economics. Charlie loves the story of
how he talked on the phone to this firecracker of a guy at Princeton Press on
a Wednesday, pitched his idea for the book, and the next day Jack was in his
office in Charlottesville, VA with a contract.
I met Charlie in August 2001. On one of our first real dates we were
having lunch at a conference in Boston and talking about books we had
written. I mentioned I had a childhood friend in publishing and Charlie was
mentioning his editor at Princeton. At the same time we shouted, JACK
REPCHECK????!!!!!
I couldn’t wait to tell Jack who I was dating and he wrote me, “Annie you
are dating a rock star in economics! Really! He’s da man!”
Jack and “Dickie” attended our wedding in Charlottesville, Thanksgiving
2004.
Jack and Charlie were working on their next book at Norton when Jack
fell ill. Charlie mentioned in early September, “Huh? I emailed Jack last
week about the book and I haven’t heard back from him. That is strange and
not like him at all.” That day a friend alerted us that he was in hospital.
Kevin kept us USC folks in the text loop daily throughout Jack’s ordeal.
We were so grateful that he had the energy to keep us informed under so
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.4
much stress. We were all planning trips to visit Jack as soon as we were
allowed and my Acela ticket was bought for Thursday morning October 15th.
But as we all know Jack left us on the evening of the 14th surrounded by his
family, loved ones and of course, music.
As I was in the huge room at the beautiful memorial on Sunday October
18th, I wanted to take it all in and try to remember as much as possible to
share with those unable to attend. The pictures everywhere from all phases
of Jack’s life. the memorabilia, the posters, class pictures, the videos, the
receiving line out the door and all the way to the street. As you walked in to
the funeral home it appeared they had to combine two rooms into one big
one to hold us all. The line wrapped around the perimeter of the room and as
you made your way you were able to see all the displays that lined the walls.
It was stunning.
Many of us had also filled Facebook with our pictures and videos of Jack.
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.5
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.6
Jeff Thompson Ann Talman Jack Repcheck Choir Reunion Performance
July 18th 2015
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.7
Annie - here is a pic from feb 2014 - dinner in Northville,
Michigan.
From: Repcheck, Jack Sent: Monday, February 24, 2014 10:14 AM
To:
Hughes, Richard; kurtrad@msn.edu
Subject: These guys are holding up
pretty good...
Hey Dicky and Kurt,
GREAT seeing the two of you last week! It had been too long since the
last time the three of us got to hang alone!
Hope to do it again soon. These photos came out pretty good!
Jack
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.8
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.9
In my effort to take it all in and relay it I was able to get copies of two of the
eulogies. In the days following that Sunday I made notes of anything I could
remember from the speakers. I will insert the eulogies here and then in bullet
form share as many moments as I can from the memorial.
Comments in memory of Jack Repcheck. October 18, 2015
It is an honor to be asked to speak in Jack’s memory today and even more so
to be invited to do so by Donna, who stood by him so courageously in his
last precious weeks with us.
When I think of Jack, I think of three things: he was a loving friend, he was
an extraordinary editor, and he was an absolutely maddening travel
companion. The turnout here today of his colleagues, friends, and family
attests to the love and respect we have for him, but you have to have spent
time on the road with Jack, as I did, to know just how crazy he could drive
you as a fellow traveler. A trip that we made together some 20 years ago,
when we both worked as editors at Princeton University Press, makes the
point just as it makes me smile.
Jack and I had been working together for about a year at the Press when we
decided to make a trip jointly to Northern California one November for a
few days calling at Stanford and for the PUP sales meeting shortly
thereafter, then held in Berkeley.
Excited as I was about hitting the road with my friend and colleague, doubt
began to creep into the picture when I asked Jack where he wanted to stay in
Palo Alto, and he answered by saying that he didn’t make hotel reservations
when he traveled. His MO was to show up at his destination and drive from
motel to motel until he found a room. Now, I’m not a particularly finicky
traveler, but I do like to have some assurance that when I spend five hours
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.10
crossing the country I’ll be staying in a lodging that charges by the day, not
by the hour. So I drew myself up and reserved rooms for us at the Sheraton
right off campus at Stanford. I went the extra yard to reserve us a rental car
as well because Jack had mentioned that he didn’t do that in advance either.
Jack and I would travel together, but we would do so on my terms, or so I
thought.
My nervousness returned the day of our trip. Jack had booked us on a midafternoon flight from Philadelphia to give us as much time as possible at the
office that day. He had offered to drive, and I suggested that we leave
Princeton at 11, which would give us plenty of time to get to the airport,
have lunch, and relax before our flight left. At 11 o’clock Jack came to my
office, told me he needed more time, and suggested that we leave at noon.
No problem. At noon, I swung by to pick him up, and he asked for more
time. Grudgingly, I agreed. So about quarter to 1, I finally pried him away
from the office, and we jumped into his car. We were on our way. Or so I
thought.
As I looked around Jack’s car, a station wagon, I became suspicious. I asked
him where his suitcase was, and he said that we had to stop at his house to
pick it up. So much for lunch at the airport. Jack was living by himself in a
condo at the time, and when we got to his house, he proceeded to pack his
bag. Packing for Jack consisted of taking a pile of laundry from the top of
his kitchen table—mostly Penn State sweat shirts and T-shirts—and
transferring it, along with about ten issues of Scientific American—to a red
leather Samsonite suitcase, which he claimed had been given to him by his
uncle.
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.11
The sentimental suitcase sorted, I began to calm down knowing that our next
stop was Philadelphia International Airport, about an hour away. I was
wrong again. Jack had to make a quick swing by the ATM to pick up some
cash. So we did that, only to discover that his checking account was low on
funds. Immediately I agreed to spot him a couple hundred dollars, if only to
ransom the rest of the trip.
As we pulled out of the bank’s ATM lane, Jack flashed a big smile, and
declared that we were on our way—after we stopped for gas. My heart sank.
Six minutes later, we pulled into the gas station, and Jack asked me if I
wanted to drive. Not only did I agree instantly, I offered to pay for the gas if
only to assert some control over what was starting to feel like the trip to
nowhere. Jack thanked me and then his eyes lit up. He told me if I drove,
he could reorganize some files he had stored in the back of his car. Yes,
Jack stored files in his car. So he crawled into the back seat of his station
wagon, and as I pulled out of the gas station onto US 95 South, he started to
transfer files from one box to another.
As incongruous a scene as this was, I was happy again, exceeding the speed
limit only slightly on my way to the airport. California, here we come!
I drove cheerfully and Jack reorganized his files intently until we passed the
Philadelphia Navy Yard a few miles short of the airport. Then I felt
something odd and told Jack that I thought we might have a flat tire. When
we reached the exit to the airport, I pulled off the road, Jack got out of the
car, confirmed that we were traveling on three good tires, but only three, and
took the wheel for the last stretch of the drive.
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.12
When we got to the airport we dumped the car (files and all), and raced to
catch the flight. No lunch, no leisure, no margin of error, but we made it.
After we arrived at the San Francisco airport, I breathed easily because we
were finally back on Dougherty Time. Hertz had the car I had reserved.
The Sheraton had the rooms I had booked, and all was well. A few minutes
after settling into my room, the phone rang. It was Jack. “Pete, my man, (it
was always “Pete”) how ‘bout some dinner?” I was hungry and so swiftly
took Jack up on his good, if surprisingly conventional, suggestion. When I
stopped by his room to pick him up, I discovered that he had recreated his
condo in the hotel: sweat garments arrayed on one bed, Scientific Americans
on the other.
We drove down the road outside Stanford and found a big, bright Mexican
restaurant, perfect for our purposes. After a couple beers as we tucked into
our main course, Jack, flashing that big grin of his, offered his judgment:
“Pete, my man, these are the best enchiladas we’re ever had, right?” “Right,
Jack, they’re great.”
Back at the Sheraton, as we were about to board the elevator, out of the
corner of my eye I noticed the lobby Christmas tree, the first sign of the
season. I smiled. It was Christmas in California, I had just finished the
world’s best enchilada, and I was traveling with my best colleague and
buddy. Then I turned to Jack and asked him when his first appointment was
at Stanford the next day, and when he wanted to get together for breakfast.
He replied that he didn’t make appointments, and that he didn’t eat
breakfast.
We were back on Repcheck Time. And, oh, what a time it was.
Thank you. Peter J. Dougherty Princeton Press
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.13
Donna called on Thursday afternoon and asked if I would represent the
Norton part of Jack’s life at this service. There are a number of speakers,
she said, so keep it fairly brief. That directive was a serious challenge when I
thought of all the ways Jack enriched our amazing, employee-owned firm
over his nearly 17 years.
I met Jack in early 1997 when he was very happily working at Princeton
University Press. And after that first dinner I understood why Drake
McFeely had suggested I meet him, he had said he thought we would really
hit it off. We did, and that night I knew I wanted to get Jack to Norton one
day. We stayed in touch, dining together from time to time, and in
December 1998 Jack joined Norton’s College Department to work in the
fields of Geology and the life sciences, later moving over into anthropology
and then Economics full-time where he has been for almost a decade. The
life of an editor fit Jack perfectly. As an editor, you learn the essential
aspects of a field, travel the country talking to top scholars and great
teachers trying to figure out where the field is going and what are the
publishing opportunities. Jack loved meeting a prospective author, planting
the seed of a book idea, and then following up over the course of months,
and sometimes even years, until he got the answer he wanted. He also
loved closing the door of his office and working on a manuscript to create a
book that would get a generation of kids excited about his discipline. He
believed that we at Norton did important work by helping top scholars and
teachers refine their considerable talents in ways necessary to reach tens of
thousand of students across the globe. And once the book was out, he
loved traveling with the sales and marketing staff to make sure his books
succeeded.
Jack was a great colleague to so many. He had a remarkable combination of
old-school gentlemanliness (always wearing a tie and sports coat to our biweekly editorial meeting or when presenting at the sales conference),
youthful enthusiasm, broad intellectual curiosity, wisdom that comes only
with experience, and a crazy amount of energy. Ann Shin, our Editorial
Director, went through all his project files a few weeks ago and determined
he has 25 active projects.
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.14
Always my dear friend, but twice a year we went out to dinner where I was
his boss reviewing his priorities and setting goals for the coming semester. I
am sure you can imagine a guy with 25 projects did need refocusing from
time to time. I usually sent him in advance the questions or topics I wanted
to discuss. He always took these dinners very seriously, came prepared, and
when after talking about ways he could handle something better, he was
always so gracious. “You are doing your job, we gotta keep the lights on”,
and would almost always end by saying “I’m on it”. And more often than
not, he would come in the next morning to thank me “for kicking his butt”
and telling me how energized he felt because of our conversation.
So many people in the world define themselves by all the things they don’t
like, never expressing unalloyed enthusiasm for much of anything, not Jack.
By wearing all his interests and passions pretty much on his sleeve, he was
completely unapologetic about his full range of interests. When the
Steelers won the Superbowl he came into my office and said he wanted pay
for a celebratory party in the Norton office at 4 the following Friday. I said
this is NYC who else cares that the Steelers won? He said “probably no one,
but I do, and I don’t know when this will happen again, there needs to be a
party.” I also think back to a sales conference in Scottsdale, AZ in 2013
where, for the very first time, we had a DJ after bonus night. It was a festive
night, Norton was thriving, and many of the sales reps had done well. The
music began and Jack is the first one on the dance floor and stayed there
the entire two and a half hours just beaming. The average age of those on
the dance floor was probably 30, but I soon joined in. He danced over
towards me and yelled in my ear, “I have been bugging Mike to do this for
years. This is the happiest day of my professional life.” I remember so
clearly thinking, really? But then I thought, Jack has many happiest nights in
his happy life. As the evening wore on Jack continued to beam, and twice
more our paths crossed. The first time he put his arm over my shoulder and
said “look what you folks have built, feel the energy. Still I can’t believe I get
to work at a place with so many great people.” The last conversation I
remember that night was pure Jack. “Watch out for that new LA rep, I am
tellin’ you she has “Eye of the Tiger”. Jack loved spotting and nurturing
young talent, and there was no greater complement from Jack than having
Eye of the Tiger.
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.15
We do have a great group of people in the college department with diverse
skills and interests. Julia Reidhead and I often talk about the balance in our
ecosystem. Things have been nicely balanced for a good stretch now with
most people’s jobs well-aligned with their strengths and interests. An
essential force in that system was Jack, universally liked and respected, he
was part of the glue that holds everything together, whether it was being
the old guy on the softball team who the next morning emailed a full
account of the game for all who did not attend, mentoring young editors,
cheering other colleagues’ successes, or teaching us all how to advocate for
our authors and our lists. We have had a huge hole punched in that
ecosystem. He is irreplaceable, but I know there are many in this room who
are going to do everything in their power to honor Jack, help the ecosystem
heal and rebalance, and make sure the books he cared so much about
continued to thrive.
Wednesday night I was out to dinner in Cambridge with a college author
who eight months ago sent me a proposal for a trade book. Like many
proposals that get submitted, it was more a bag of ideas. I was heading out
on a long trip and, since Jack knew the author, I dropped the proposal on
his desk and asked him to have a look. Within 48 hours, Jack sent a really
smart email pointing out what seemed original in the proposal, what was
distracting, and how it could be reframed. On Wednesday that author, who
did get a trade contract with us, and I raised a glass to Jack and I returned
to my hotel room where I got Donna and Kevin’s texts that Jack had died. I
sat down to write the final email to a massive friends of Jack list, some of
whom I had never met but nonetheless had bonded with over email based
on our mutual affection for Jack. I pushed the send button and laid back to
grieve. And almost immediately the emails starting coming—these
amazing, wrenching emails often starting with “I loved Jack” or “Jack and I
had a special relationship”, and they continued to come in throughout the
night and with each one I cried a bit more. By Thursday night they had
stopped coming and I reflected on the outpouring. I have a fun job and
have had the privilege to work with and get to know so many nice and
interesting people, but I thought, do I know anyone more beloved in the
world? I do not, I even clicked open my contacts and scrolled through just
to make sure I was not forgetting some saint somewhere. Jack drew people
to him because first and foremost he was good to the core. His generous
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.16
spirit seemed to have an almost infinite capacity to embrace all those with
whom he came in contact.
I will close with that very short email I sent out Wednesday night:
With a broken heart, I report our dear friend died peacefully tonight at 8:32
surrounded by his family. When I think of that wonderful family, his legion
of friends, the great books he has published, the wonderful books he has
written, his music, and his exuberance for so much more, his was a life welllived. I have never known a more good and decent man than Jack, how I
wish we all could have more time with him.
The wonderful Donna and Jack are good friends of the entire Harrington
family, and Matthew wants to speak very briefly about that.
From Kevin Repcheck:
Hi, I’m Jack’s brother, Kevin. Just to complete the story started by
the Pastor, Jack was so smitten by Donna that while they were
walking on that path, he ignored his surroundings and walked
straight into a light pole. True story.
It is my honor to say a few words about Jack. As you all know, he
had such a great approach to life. He was always positive and
upbeat. I described it as “enthusiastic optimism”. Jack and I are
Irish Twins – we were both born in 1957, Jack in January and me
in December….my poor Mom. 1957 was the peek year for the
Baby Boom so there were tons of kids our age in the
neighborhood. Playdates did not exist back then, but I always had
an automatic playmate. He was also my roommate for 17 years
and we were partners in crime. We had a great childhood. Jack
and I learned many thing together. When he was 9 and I was 8,
we did something that we both knew would get us in big
trouble…so we took action. My Mother had taken one of those
paddles that had the red ball attached to a rubber band and
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.17
would use it to paddle us every now and then since we were
getting too big. One time, Jack saw where she hid it. We decided
that we should steal it before she could find it, and to make sure
she didn’t find it, we set out to hide in our bedroom and barricade
the door with our dresser and anything else we could find. We
were determined to wait it out all day and we did. Well, I learned
3 things from day from Jack. One, Be Bold and Take Action. Two,
Plan with more attention to detail….we should have picked a
bedroom that also had a bathroom. And Three, if you make your
parents laugh, you don’t get in trouble.
We were rolling along as kids and our brother Randy came along
and became another playmate, although he was often cast as the
bad guy while Jack and I were the hero. You may not know this,
but Jack’s favorite super hero was the Green Hornet. I was his
trusty driver Kato, and Randy was always the villain. We still feel
bad about that. So we had this “guy” thing going on in the house
thought that was pretty cool. Then my Mom was expecting again
and we just assumed that we’d get another brother. Our
neighbor came running out of the house one day to tell us
excitedly that our Mom had just had a little girl and that we now
had a sister. We didn’t quite have the same reaction, but with our
sister Carolyn, we learned something. Having a sister is really
neat and having a girl in the family was a big bonus. This turned
out to be really important, since of the 5 Repcheck kids, some of
us have sons, but all of us have daughters.
We moved to another community when my sister Diane was born
in 1967 because we needed a bigger house. Again the
neighborhood was crawling with kids and we were constantly
playing pick-up games, especially football on a field, which this
being Pittsburgh, wasn’t quite level. We drove our Mother crazy
with all of the mud. Jack was always sort of the magnet that
made our house frequently the meeting place and my friends and
I benefited from that. Nothing but great memories from that
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.18
time.
Jack was always the trailblazer for the rest of the kids in the
family. He was the first to have First Communion (where I learned
that there is money involved, but only for the guy going through it
– tough lesson for me - weird I know) as well as the first to Drive,
Graduate High School and then College, Join a fraternity, Get
Married and have Kids. He made it all look so easy. He also made
it harder for the rest of us because he always got good grades and
was never getting into any trouble.
Eventually, Jack became Uncle Jack and 13 of my parents’
grandchildren called him that. Of all of the other uncles, myself
included, he was clearly known as the “Fun Uncle”. He was
always in motion. He would play with every kid and toss a
football, baseball, Frisbee or whatever the kid at that point in time
was into. He would come to Pittsburgh to watch the Steelers in
the Super Bowls just because that was the place he had to be. He
and Donna would often stay with us when he came to visit, but all
of my siblings and their families would offer to put them up.
Realistically, it didn’t matter who he stayed with, because the
minute he hit town, he would visit for 20 minutes and then bolt
off to see my sisters or parents or friends. My visits with him
were usually 30 minutes over coffee in the morning and 30
minutes over a good Scotch at night. Those will be my lasting
memories.
No doubt Jack was well loved. The large number of you in this
room is a testament to that. All of you will think back on Jack with
a smile. All of you called Jack a good friend. Heck, half of you call
Jack your best friend. Quite a legacy.
Postscript:
When Donna asked me to say a few words, I was under the
impression that I was to cover mostly Jack growing up. Had I
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.19
known that no one was really covering life in Newtown, I would
have added a few things, especially Jack’s relationship with Donna
(his nickname for her truly was Angel) and his girls. Jack and
Donna had a very special relationship and his devotion to her was
unwavering. They were true soul mates. As a brother watching
from a distance, it was so good to see Jack so happy.
Jack absolutely adored his daughters. He had a wonderful yet
different relationship with each of them. He never expressed
anything but pride when sharing with me what everyone was up
to and I am sure that his legacy will burn brightly in each of them.
My regret is that I did not cover this in my remarks. Also, I
delivered this using notes and then typed it up a few weeks later.
Pretty sure I captured at least 90% of it.
Kurt Radke (USC Class of 75) spoke. He had no notes. So - he
wrote down what he said at the service - and included the laugh
track as well!
Donna asked me to speak today about when Jack and I were kids.
She did not define "kids" exactly so I'll share a couple of stories
from two different time periods when we were "kids".
It's 1967. Think back to that time. 1967. I'm in 5th grade.
Attending Streams Elementary School in a cozy little suburb called
Upper St. Clair. It's recess time. And I am playing foursquare. Remember four-square? And I meet Jack Repcheck there
- playing four-square at recess. I recall very clearly that as we
played Jack was singing a song called "New Green Cans". Perhaps
it was one of his own creation because I have never heard of it
since! It was also, perhaps, the beginning of Jack's love of singing
and performing.
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.20
I recall as well that as I got to know Jack more that year at school
he said he was Catholic. My background is Lutheran. At that point
in my life I don't think I had met too many Catholic folk. As I got to
know Jack more I decided that if he were Catholic then Catholics
must be a good bunch!
Move forward in time now to high school years. Still kids I
suppose! As Kevin mentioned about their yard on Hidden Timber
always busy with activity- there was always something going on
outside our house on Southwood. Our side yard was huge so
some sports activity was always happening there and Jack was
frequently there. In addition to the sports Jack would often stay
for Sat night pizza. We had pizza every sat night and our friends
were always welcome. What made the pizza (and the time) even
better was that we could have a beer also when we were 15 or
16. My folks were always there! And yes I understand that that
could not take place today!! The festivities were good definitely.
My family is very musical. My mother plays the piano as do I. All
of us sing - 3 brothers, 1 sister - dad, mom. My dad has an
excellent voice. We had an upright piano in the basement and we
would frequently go down to sing after pizza and beer.
My dad's ethnic background is German and Bohemian. He had a
songbook which was a collection of old Bohemian folk songs
(which I now have and treasure). One of the songs in the book is
called "Here's to Old Bohemia". It's a wonderful, stirring anthem.
Jack loved it. My dad would sing the adagio part with great
passion. A classic! When Jack was studying in Madison, Wisconsin
doing his Masters work we would write letters (remember
letters?) and he'd write "Here's to Old Bohemia" in the return
address spot.
That was Saturday evenings. Jack was a happy guy in general.
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.21
Clare and Jack (I looked at Jack's parents in the front row) - if Jack
came home those evenings EXTRA happy - now you know why!
Being with Jack always lifted me up. He was a very active guy and
positive which i truly appreciated. I'm prone to depression and
always enjoyed just being with Jack. Roby mentioned Jack's
"youthful enthusiasm" earlier. So true. I hope I have some left!
I received a bit of a shock yesterday when I was talking with some
people here - some classmates from USC. We were talking about
what a great friend Jack was - and one of the group said this -"Jack
had the ability to make you feel as if you were his best friend". I
said - "wait a minute - I am!". We all laughed. Ok. Ok. Raise your
hand today if you were one of Jack's best friends. (About 10 hands
go up! Laughter! ). Oh my lord! Ok - listen now - I AM! I am
Jack's best friend. (More laughter - including me!!).
I'd like
to think that I was one of Jack's best friends. Or that I am!. And
yet - what I am - what I am - is grateful. I am grateful. Jack
Repcheck was a blessing to me. Truly a blessing to me for virtually
all of my life. I am grateful.
I know I will see Jack again. I know it.
When I got home from Jack’s memorial I wrote down some moments that
took my breath away.
When Jack’s Three Daughters spoke:
 Jack loved his daily commute to Norton from Bucks County. One trip
his daughter rode home with him. As they got off the train, there was
a man asking for money. Jack slipped him a bill. His daughter said,
“Dad, you can’t give everyone money like that.” Jack smiled and
replied, “I know. He’s my guy.”
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.22
 The girls spoke of many examples of how to all their friends Jack was
known as The Coolest Dad Ever.
 When his daughter got a job in Manhattan often Jack would take her
to lunch on Fridays in Bryant Park, Jack brought his brown bag from
home and treated her.
 One of my favorites was how when they were little girls and could not
sleep, Jack had found the perfect perch on the landing of their house
where all three could see him. He lovingly read to them sitting there.
 Jack and his daughter were having lunch with her new boss. When she
returned from the powder room, Jack was getting her boss’s cell
number, “In case I ever can’t get a hold of my daughter.”
Kevin Repcheck
 Kevin reminisced about being Jack’s Irish Twin 11 months apart both
born in 1957. Jack was Class of 75 and Kevin, Class of 76

Kevin explained The Paddle. Remember those wooden paddles with
the red ball attached on a rubber string that we Baby Boomers spent
countless hours playing with? Kev. told of the day he and Jack
barricaded themselves in the bedroom they shared to avoid it being
used on their bottoms, but forgot there was no way to get to the
bathroom. The take away-make your parents smile and they don’t
have the heart to punish you!
 Told the story of the day Jack was walking down the street in New
Hope, passed Donna and was hit by The Thunderbolt. He turned
around and went up to her and introduced himself. The rest is history.
Oh and Jack was so taken that he had also walked right into a sign
post.
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.23
Jack’s Pastor:
 Took a poll. “How many of you in this room consider yourself Jack’s
best friend?” There was a show of hands…. Everyone!
 That last Monday night October 12th, when he said goodbye to Jack
after a visit in the hospital, Jack smiled and said, “I’ll be fine.”
Richard “Dickie” Hughes told this hilarious story at our Class of 75 Reunion
in September 2015.
 Richard and I were originally from Birmingham, Alabama and our
fathers worked for US Steel. When our mothers landed in Pittsburgh
because their husbands were promoted to corporate headquarters, they
immediately joined The Southern Club. And the big event was the
Annual Southern Club Snow Ball at The Allegheny Club where the
young Debutants were presented. Richard’s mother was very involved
and helped round up the young men who would escort the ladies at the
event. So of course Jack Repcheck and also Jeff Thompson were
recruited. This was a black tie big deal. The evening was going
beautifully. Dessert was being served and Jack momentarily excused
himself to the men’s room. Unbeknownst to Jack, a Yankee, the full
orchestra was just about to start up the long standing tradition of the
Snow Ball. All rose and put their hands over their hearts, to tearfully
sing along to, DIXIE! As Jack returned to the table in shock, having
never seen anything quite like it, he sidled up to Richard and
whispered in his ear, “Dickie! What the @#$%())*&^%%$$ is this!
Are you people nuts?!”
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.24
Mr. Gielas posted this picture of Jack from 1975.
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.25
When asked to tell the story behind it Mr. Gielas said:
“I walked into the choir room after our 1975 May SpringConcert to put some
music away. The room was empty but for Jack and I took this picture. Then I
wanted to be sure he was all right. I asked him: ‘Jack are you OK?’ and he
looked up and said, ‘I’m fine Mr. G. I just can’t leave yet.’ “
*At the memorial where they printed 500 programs and soon ran out, the
USC class of 75 was represented by:
Ann Talman
Richard Hughes
Steve Cerveris
Chris Regan Rause
Patty Newman Hahn
Phillip (Flip) Kearney
Chris Lawrence
Ken Smith
Greg Laderer
David Dye
Don Huffner ‘76
Holly Flynn Lawrence 76
Connie Endres Devlin 76
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.26
Jackisms:
“Eye of the Tiger!”
“You know it!”
“Seize the day!”
“Be part of the solution.”
“You da man!”
“Let life come to you.”
“Where’s the party?”
“Sleep is overrated.”
“Paa-tience”
“Every day gets better and better.”
“That’s the best ___________ on the planet.”
“I’m on it!”
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.27
Kurt Radke, Steve Cerveris at Memorial 10/18/2015
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.28
Steve Cerveris, Kevin Repcheck, Kurt Radke at Memorial 10/18/2015
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.29
Steve Cerveris, Chris Regan, Kevin Repcheck, Kurt Radke 10/18/2015
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.30
Choir Reunion 2013
Patty Newman Hahn, Chris Regan Rause, Howard Johnson, Steve Cerveris,
Mr. Gielas, Jeff Thompson, Ann Talman, Barbara Spotz, Jack Repcheck
Jack Repcheck Memories by Ann Talman et al.3/15/16 p.31
One of Jack's fraternity brothers was driving to the lunch following the
service and had this car right in front of him the whole way, except when it
was time to turn into the driveway. He took a picture of it when he realized
that it did not belong to anyone associated with the service. There are at
least 8 million vehicles registered in PA and what are the odds that this
one would be right there on that day after they had just made a big deal
about the song. It even has a Penn State License plate holder. Pretty cool
huh?