Weber, Dr. Jack
Description
Jack Weber, Here! is an incredibly moving memoir about love, loss, and the power of resilience, written with insight and humor by a member of the Grea
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test Generation. His remarkable story, spanning nearly a century of American history, teaches us to grab onto life and to never give up. He also emphasizes that we achieve a meaningful life only by dedicating ourselves to helping others. At nearly 99 years old, he continues to focus on those in need, by donating his proceeds from this book to charity.
Dr. Jack Weber’s memoir contains two parts. Part I is about his personal life. Born in the Bronx in 1924 to a loving, Jewish family, his was a happy childhood despite the deprivation of the Depression and fearfully watching the rise of antisemitism in Europe. He enlisted in the military after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and served eight years in uniform in the Navy. He was lucky to not be deployed during World War II and equally lucky that in 1942, while stationed at Oberlin College in Ohio, this young sailor met his wife, Betty Keyerleber. Thus began a love story, and a life and family they built together, all chronicled in his memoir. Today he is the patriarch to a large, extended family that includes 12 great-grandchildren.
Like all of us, his personal life included losses he had to overcome. Without resilience, he could not have endured. He also writes honestly about longevity, that there are challenges alongside the blessings and how the ongoing threat of COVID has impacted his life.
He is a fan of all sports, particularly baseball, which he played growing up and at college and remains an avid New York Mets fan. But nothing quite compares to his love of golf. His only accommodation to his age is now playing nine holes instead of eighteen. He takes the reader on a tour of golf courses that he and Betty visited around the world, with the highlight being the round of golf he played on the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland in 1991.
Part II explores Dr. Weber’s journey with Lions Clubs International (LCI), a worldwide service organization. It was through the Lions, that he found his path to helping others. In 1953 he joined the Hicksville Lions Club and with Betty by his side, they traveled the world with the Lions, helping those in need. He also climbed the ladder of Lions leadership, from Club President to District Governor to International Director. His detailed descriptions of International Board of Directors meetings offer a rare insider-view of the Association at the International level. These discussions are fascinating, especially during periods of great social change, such as the fight to admit women as full Lions members, which he was supporting.
The title of the book comes from Dr. Weber’s enthusiastic greeting. For nearly 70 years, Lions in need of help or advice would go to the man who extends his hand or answers his phone and says, “Jack Weber, Here!” He continues to help others through the Lions by donating all his net proceeds to a Lions charity, the Brandel-Murphy Youth Foundation. Founded by his good friends, LCI President Al Brandel and his wife, Dr. Maureen Murphy, the Foundation is devoted to helping children in need in New York State.
“On behalf of so many, we thank Jack for sharing his life's story. Maureen and I are so grateful for our friendship with Jack over these many years and his consideration and support of the Brandel-Murphy Youth Foundation. Jack has certainly lived a life exemplifying and upholding the Lions Motto WE SERVE!”
Al Brandel, International President of LCI 2008-2009
https://www.brandelmurphyfoundation.org/
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