E. Jack Schoop
1929-2012
Born in Olton, Switzerland, Jack moved to Philadelphia, PA with his family in 1932. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy as a teenager and later Antioch College in Ohio. To pay for his education, Jack spent summers repairing railroad tracks in Alaska and worked as a reporter at the Texas City News. After graduating in 1955, Jack moved back to Alaska where he met and married the love of his life, Marilyn Powers of Cranston, Rhode Island.
After a brief stint as a reporter, Jack became the first city planner in the still-young city of Anchorage. A true Renaissance man, Jack taught himself everything he could about city planning and three years later received a scholarship to study Urban Planning at MIT in Cambridge, MA. After receiving his Masters Degree, Jack returned to Anchorage and in 1964 experienced the 9.2 earthquake centered in nearby Prince William Sound. The subsequent chaotic rush to redevelop the city frustrated Jack and he eventually left Alaska to join the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) where he worked to protect the Bay. He was instrumental in thwarting the proposal to remove the top of San Bruno Mountain and use it to fill in the southern portion of the Bay for development.
Jack later served as the State Planner in Madison Wisconsin (1971-1973), the Planning Director for the California Coastal Commission (1973-1979), the Planning Director for the City of Dallas (1979-1983) and the Planning Director for Santa Clara County. He retired in 1988.
Jack was a devoted family man who wrote beautiful poems for his wife, had sweet nicknames for his kids and found serenity hiking the trails of Marin. He will be dearly missed. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made in Jack's name to The Buck Institute for Alzheimer's Research, 8001 Redwood Blvd., Novato, CA 94945.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
1 Entry
I knew Jack at Exeter and met him at reunions. I thoroughly enjoyed his company and am so grieved to hear of his passing. My condolences
Eugene(Ace) Baker
August 20, 2012
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