Jack Preiss

1919 - 2019

Jack J. Preiss

December 20, 1919 - April 14, 2019

Durham

Jack J. Preiss, a Duke professor, adventurer, former Durham City Council member, and inspirational advocate for under-served Durham residents for 60 years, died peacefully of natural causes in his home the morning of April 14, 2019. He was 99, and surrounded by the love of his family when he departed.

The impact of his work has helped positively shape the future for many Durham residents. He was a passionate and dedicated advocate for human rights, a dynamic and engaging lecturer, and a risk-taking businessman and community leader.

He is survived by his sons, Steven, Tony, and Andrew; his daughters-in-law, Angela, Leah, and Alison; his grandchildren, James, Sandy, Robin, David, and Rosalia, and his nieces, Emily and Lisha.

Born in New York City in 1919, he and his extended family then moved to Hackensack, N.J., where Jack resided for the majority of his childhood. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1940 at the age of 20 with a degree in sociology. He was an early member and star of the Debate Club, a skill that he honed throughout his political and social career. He also loved poetry and acting. After college, Jack attended Camp William James, an early Civilian Conservation Corps project to encourage public service that helped shape his moral compass the rest of his life. He considered FDR one of his greatest role models.

In 1947, Jack married Joan Papert, with whom he shared a profound commitment for social justice until her death in 2012. Soon after their wedding, the two moved to West Lebanon, N.H., and with two other couples opened the Lebanon Municipal Airport, which is still in service today. Jack was the mechanic at the airport, and his love and aptitude with aviation, adventure and machinery continued henceforth.

After several intrepid years at the airport, Jack and Joan decided to refocus on Jack's academic trajectory. He received a Master's Degree from Columbia University in 1951 and his Ph.D. from Michigan State in 1954. After post-doc work at the University of Missouri, Brown, and Michigan State, the family moved to Durham in 1959, where Jack began a 38-year career as a sociology professor at Duke University. He and several of his colleagues started the Academic Council at Duke, where they were instrumental in the integration of the university in 1965. His values of civic duty and equality led to his election to the City Council from 1965-1969. During this period of great civil unrest, Jack and Joan's home was a stopover for Freedom Riders heading south. The couple were also tireless advocates for the integration of Durham Public Schools and many other social causes.

Following retirement from Duke in 1987, Jack started yet another career as an urban planner and advocate for low-income housing. His list of honors and accomplishments is far too long to list in full, but several of note include chairman or founder for the following: The Durham Housing Authority, The N.C. Low Income Housing Coalition, New Directions For Downtown, and Housing For New Hope. Several buildings serving low-income Durhamites were constructed under his guidance, including Urban Ministries Homeless Shelter, Edgemont Elms Apartments, Sherwood Park Apartments, Andover Apartments, as well as The Senior Center, and Preiss-Steele Place, an elder care apartment. He also received a lifetime achievement award from the NAACP.

Outside of his work in civil rights, Jack found great joy in personal adventure, particularly in sailing. He oversaw the modification of a 23-foot, cutter-rigged sailboat, making it an ocean-going vessel, on which he made voyages to Bermuda and the Bahamas. Joan and Jack also spent many summers sailing on Puget Sound above Seattle with friends Bob and Dottie Osborn.

Jack never lost his drive to excel and stay engaged. He taught continuing education courses at Duke about sailing and exploration well into his 90s. He also took refresher courses in French. He went to the gym twice a week and did calisthenics every morning until a couple of weeks before his death. His ongoing attendance at political meetings assured high expectations and accountability. He loved his yard and tended it meticulously with the help of long-time friend Willie MacDonald. In later years, he regularly attended Duke women's soccer and basketball games with his friends Rich Lee and Mark Hellman. The only adversary he could never outwit were the squirrels, who raided his bird feeders and confounded all of his elaborate efforts to keep them away.

Special thanks to Sandi Gray-Terry and UNC Hospice for helping Jack during his final adventure. In lieu of flowers, a contribution of service or support to a charitable cause of your choice is encouraged.

A celebration of his life will be held at the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Durham on June 15, 2019, at 10 a.m.