Getting to Know our Residents... Jack Boyle

Jack Boyle was born on December 21,1937, in Norristown, PA. At that point in time, the Great Depression was nearing its end, making Jack's earlier life rough. His parents divorced when Jack was four and was cared for primarily by his older sister who was 5 years older. During his early life Jack lived with his Mother and Sister and they frequently moved from place to place. They moved from North Carolina to Atlantic City and back to Camden, New Jersey where he spent some time growing up. In Camden, Jack lived with his Grandparents, his Mother and Sister. Peggy Jean, Jacks sister looked after him and became like a hero early on as she had taken care of him for much of his early years. Another role model during Jack's childhood was his grandfather, a WWI veteran. With life being hard at the time Jack would look to his Grandfather as a moral compass.

His Mother remarried after WWII and they moved from His Grandfather's home while his sister remained with their Grandparents. When Jack started in the new school his Mother demanded that he use the name John Lee Boyle instead of John Carl Nicholson. When it came time to Graduate from High School there was no documentation for the name Boyle. His stepfather legally adopted Jack so that he could graduate with the assumed name. Jack continues to use that name.

The summer following his graduation he began preparing for tech school at Temple University where he would complete a two-year program in Machine Design. Jack went on to say that he would tell himself "Set your goals high, you cannot change the past and never give up". Never giving up is one thing that Mr. Boyle always did, as while finishing his program at Temple Bell Telephone Labs came to the school looking to recruit technicians. Although Jack though he was ready for the work force he still wanted to attain a degree so he found out that BTL would assist financially for him to get a BS at Lafayette College Night School. He attended night school for 9 years.

During his time at Lafayette and working full time for BTL Jack met and married Margaret. He claims that getting married and going from Temple to Lafayette College were two life changing moments. Jack then went on to Graduate from Lafayette with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. At the time of his graduation Margaret and Jack had four children, and a fifth child aftergraduation. Jack went on to work for AT&T for 38 years and retired as an Assistant Manager of Engineering and Manufacturing. He retired at the age of 57 and because of his early retirement he was able to accomplish many feats. Some of them being walking across the continental United States, cycling across four times and traveling the world as he and Margaret visited more than 50 countries.

Jack says that moving to the Highlands was a great life choice and that the Highlands provides safety as we age, social interaction, and also the ability to age gracefully. It is a gift to their children and helps the children to understand how we age. Jack's life advice is to get educated, set reasonable goals, persevere and try to understand how the world actually works. These are objectives that Jack has lived by and has also attempted to give back. Mr. Boyle has lived a good life with many more blessings to come. I thank Mr. Boyle for his interview and the countless life lessons I attained, and I hope you as the reader took one away as well..