Jack Esbin, 82, died peacefully in Ebeid Hospice on April 13, 2018 following a three-month illness. He will be sorely missed by his loving wife of 62 years, Martha, son Guy (Becky), daughter Gay, granddaughter Cammi, grandson Nick (Ashley), great-granddaughter Noelle, sister Connie (Lou) and many nieces and nephews. Jack was born December 14, 1935 to John Harrison Esbin and Grace McMahon Esbin in Philadelphia.
At the age of 17, he joined Atlantic Refining as a mail clerk, then enlisted in… Read More » the U.S. Army. With the benefit of the GI bill, he went to college. Jack began his professional career in 1959 as a mathematics teacher in the public schools of Delaware, then in 1962 became an Instructor of Mathematics and (in 1964) the Assistant Director for Academic Support at the Computer Center of Illinois State University.
He then moved to the University of Iowa, where he was the Associate Director of the Computer Center, and where he became a member of both ACM and SIGUCCS in January of 1968. In 1976 he became the Director of Computing at the University of Toledo (UT), then a year later became the Executive Director of the J. Preston Levis Regional Computer Center (JPLRCC), which served multiple public institutions, including UT, the City of Toledo, Bowling Green State University, the Northwest Ohio Regional Information System (an area criminal justice network), and several small colleges in the area. When the Regional Center was disbanded in 1990, Jack became the Director of Computing for the City of Toledo.
He returned to the University of Toledo in 1995, from which he retired in 2000 after serving as the Director of the Year 2000 (Y2K) Project. Jack served in many positions for the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and SIGUCCS. Some of his positions and awards were: ACM Chair, Vice Chair, and Treasurer of the ACM Special Interest Group Board, 1977-83, ACM Council Member, 1980-1996, ACM Treasurer & Secretary, 1982-1994, ACM Outstanding Contribution Award and ACM Fellow Election in 1993.
He also served in ACM’ s special interest group for colleges and universities, SIGUCCS as editor, historian, and as chairs of various conferences. Jack received the SIGUCCS Hall Of Fame Award and Penny Crane Award in 2001. In 2016, he received SIGUCCS’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award.
Jack shared his zest for wine and food by guiding tours to the wine country in California, Oregon and Washington State. Friends may visit the family at the Walker Funeral Home, 5155 Sylvania Ave. (west of Corey) on Saturday, April 28 2018 from 2 – 4 pm.
In accordance with Jack’s wishes, there will be no funeral. In lieu of flowers, you may make memorial contributions to Pilgrim Church, 1375 Sylvania Ave. Toledo, OH 43612, noting Project Dignity, or to the charity of your choice.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
