Jack was born and raised in Bloomington by Arline and Thomas Keefe with two brothers Tommy and Denny. He attended Bloomington High School where he participated in theater and basketball. In his spare time, he had a growing interest in railroading, history, and photography. Some of these would be key ingredients for future endeavors.
Jack took a trip to Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio near the end of his high school career and fell in love with the campus and culture. He studied broadcast news and got his first job as a DJ working at a popular Columbus radio station on campus (WCOL). After graduation, he went on to pursue a career in television broadcast news. He enjoyed a high degree of success in multiple markets during his long career. But he started getting a taste for something different.
Throughout his life Jack found himself moving closer back to the place he loved, Bloomington, Illinois. In 1993? he fulfilled the idea of a seed planted long ago… and he got his realty license in Bloomington. Jack worked at Century 21 and then went to Coldwell Banker where he finished his second career retiring as a realtor.
But, Jack had a kind of public secret. He was moonlighting as the author of the How Time Flies column in the Pantagraph. Journalism had never left him. And it is still with him today as he presents to you… Back in The Day.