JACK JORGENS

Jack Johnstone Jorgens  
Of Vienna, VA, died peacefully December 8, 2019 at Virginia Hospital Center, Arlington, surrounded by family and close friends. He was 76. A renowned film and literature professor at American University, filmmaker of socially conscious shorts and documentaries, devoted father and husband, and spinner of corny jokes, he carved a career and life out of love and passion for art, life, and people. After teaching at the Universities of Connecticut and Massachusetts, he joined the faculty at AU, where between 1975 and 2004, he created and taught dozens of courses, and published the groundbreaking book, Shakespeare on Film. He also created AU's Media Center, and the M.A. Program in Film and Video. In 1988 with his wife, Chilean journalist and filmmaker Cecilia Domeyko, he founded Accent Media, a production company whose documentaries aired on public stations in English and Spanish on four continents. He published a fictional trilogy featuring intrepid female detective Mary Jane Morris. In 2002, he and Cecilia founded the Mariposa Cultural Foundation which focuses on human rights, the rights of women and children, and the environment. Jack is survived by Cecilia; his daughters Catherine and Elisabeth Jorgens; his stepsons Juan Cristobal and Rodrigo Vera; and his grandchildren Genevieve Lambert, Jackson Matsumura, and Adriana and Leonardo Vera. A memorial service was held January 17, 2020, at AU's Wechsler Theater. Donations to Mariposa Foundation appreciated.