Dr. Elkin Terry Jack

An A+Life

October 23, 1945 - December 15, 2025

On the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta, on October 23,1945, Elkin Terry Jack was born to William Elkin Shell Jack and Lucille King Jack.

Terry grew up in Greenwood, Mississippi alongside his younger sister Michele. At the age of five he survived crippling polio. He went on to enjoy an active childhood and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. In 1961, the family moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he graduated from Broadmore High School. He then attended Southeastern Louisiana University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and was a member of Theta Xi Fraternity. It was during this time he would meet his future wife, Patricia Lieux. Upon college graduation he enlisted in the US Army.

Terry and Patti were married on February 14, 1970, shortly before his deployment to Vietnam. After his tour of duty, he and Patti attended graduate school at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. Terry earned a Master of Arts in Political Science which prepared him for his career as a professor at Gulf Coast State College.

In 1977, Terry took a sabbatical from Gulf Coast, returning with Patti to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to complete his Ph.D., in Political Science. Following his graduation, the couple permanently settled in Panama City, where they welcomed their daughter Lindsey Katherine, built a life in the Cove, and became active members of the community. He joined the Kiwanis Club and became President of the Bay High School Parent Advisory Board. He also served on the boards of Early Education and Care and the Panama City Marine Institute. He maintained a long association with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation and was an adjunct professor at Florida State University, Troy University, and University of West Florida.

Dr. Jack was a public voice writing editorials in the News Herald and commentaries on WKGC -FM Public Radio. His book, Deliberation and Restoration of America’s Democratic Potential, A Primer on American Government was published in 2007.

Dr. Jack turned his lifelong dedication to education and civic engagement to the Chautauqua Learn and Serve Charter School and for twenty years was Board President.

After thirty-six years as a professor, Dr. Jack retired from Gulf Coast State College in 2009. He continued to be an avid writer and was published in the National Civic Review. In an article Dr. Jack was asked to author in 2017, he is both reflective and confident.

“The future depends on the “habits of the heart” citizens develop, and on the health of the voluntary associations in which the heart is formed: families, neighborhoods, classrooms, congregations, workplaces, local government, and other places where strangers meet.”

For his entire life, Dr. Jack was shaped and strengthened by his ‘Habits of the Heart.” They are woven into the texture of his legacy.

Dr. Elkin Terry Jack is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of more than 55 years, Patricia Lieux Jack, his daughter, Lindsey Katherine Jack (Christopher Lucey) and the joys of his life, his grandchildren Jack and Charlotte Lucey, his sister, Michele Jack, his niece Lauren Murphy, and numerous extended family.

Services for Dr. Elkin Terry Jack will be held January 24, 2026 at St. John’s the Evangelist Catholic Church, Panama City, FL. Visitation will be from 12:30 to 1:30pm and Mass will immediately follow from 1:30 to 2:30pm. All are welcome to join family and friends for a meal at the Chautauqua Learn and Serve Charter School immediately following Mass. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Chautauqua Learn and Serve Charter School (1118 Magnolia Avenue Panama City, FL 32401) or the Washington Jesuit Academy (www.wjacademy.org).