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Hi. I contac ted you once a few years back when you had posted the novice historians page. Did anyone ever follow up on researching Jack? My mother who was 17 when she had a relationship with him is now 71. Jack passed away in the 90's and had been living in a nursing home for a while. He had become disabled and wheelchair bound by the late 1970's. He did indeed make some remarkable discoveries and nearly drank himself to death, as did many of the others, after his participation with the atom bomb. One of his closest friends was Linus Pauling and Jack did a lot of "secret" government research and was targeted during the red scare of the 1950's. My mother started out as a research assistant for Jack. She was the next door neighbor to his "laboratory" which was not in his home but was located in a building which used to stand on SE 72nd Avenue in Portland where Tremont Evangelical Church's Ne corner of parking lot now stands. My mother's family home was immediately to the south of his "lab". They conducted many experiments there and she was privy to many of his discoveries. Jack among many things invented the black light. He attended and taught at Reed College and they do have some records there. It is a shame that so much of his records were destroyed. He never married. Lived at home with his mother until she passed away. There was always bad blood between the brothers. If there was a family member who conducted funerals in the basement or elsewhere it is not something that was obvious during my mothers many visits to their home during the late 1940's and throughout the 1950's. I never met Jack but he was the love of my mother's life and she mourns him still. I spoke to him on one occasion when i was a teenager. He was inebriated and he had just seen my mother and sister at the pharmacy located across from his home. The pharmacist told him that my parents had just seperated and he called to find out if it was true. He had hid from mother and did not want her to see him in his wheelchair. He at that time told me one of his greatest regrets was that he wasn't my father. It was a strange experience for me and I wasn't sure how to feel. As an adult and knowing more about him and their great love I only feel sad that they let others opinions about the age difference keep them from their happiness. We have a few of Jack's private things and some of his papers and books. We purchased them from a dealer on antiques row in Sellwood and gave them to mother. They are now her treasures. Jack would be 96 years old had he lived. I just thought I would pass along some info. he deserves to be remembered and remembered well. Our government used many scientists during those times and most lived to regret their participation. Their names seldom were linked to the projects but Jack did have some notariety in spite of their efforts to disparage them or keep their discoveries anonymous. Just as an aside....years later....I chose a church to be married in not knowing it's history. My grandparents had divorced in the early 60's so there wasn't much pleasurable reminiscing. To my great surprise on my wedding day that my wedding photos were being taken on the site of my mother's long ago affair. Life has some interesting moments, doesn't it? Be well!!! and thank you for indulging me. Alena Ehrhart Official MXI Corp Independent Distributor <mxi.myvoffice.com> www.myspace.com/alena_ehrhart http://id.sito.org/len/
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