Building character through life experiences
“Talking to people who are interested in airplanes, about airlines, well, that’s just dadburned nice.” – So said DHS alum and three-career man Jack Zerr ’59 in reflecting on his recent talk to Duchesne’s Aviation class, the first for the school.
Zerr is a U.S. Navy Ret. Rear Admiral as well as a retired Boeing engineer. He is now an author of historical fiction, much of which has an autobiographical background.
After graduating from Duchesne High School, Adm. Zerr entered the Navy as a seaman apprentice and retired 36 years later as a rear admiral. While in the Navy, he received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University and a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Adm. Zerr is a highly decorated Vietnam veteran with many prestigious honors, including:
• 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses
• An Air Medal and 24 Strike Flight Awards
• 5 Navy Commendation Medals, including medals for the Legion of Merit and for Meritorious Service
• 2 Navy Unity Commendations
• and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross
His years of service included three deployments to the Tonkin Gulf – two of those as a fighter pilot aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hancock. During those tours, he logged 321 combat missions over Vietnam and Laos.
All told, Adm. Zerr has nearly 4700 flight hours – 123 of which were in helicopters, with almost 4500 hours in jets. His carrier ship landings included 1,017 fixed wing and 52 rotary. His Naval career included six aviation commands, with the aircraft carriers USS Hancock, USS New Orleans, and USS Constellation among them. (Adm. Zerr calls the USS Constellation “the greatest warship in the universe.”)
Upon retirement from the Navy, he joined McDonnell Douglas in 1996 as director of flight test and laboratory operations and was assigned to Boeing's P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft program as vice president and program manager in 2002.
He retired from Boeing in 2007 and has since published 15 historical novels and a book of short stories.
Adm. Zerr’s best story is his love story with his wife, Karen, also a 1959 graduate of Duchesne, with whom he moved 25 times, living across the United States and abroad. Jack and Karen have six children, all educated in Catholic schools.
In introducing Admiral Zerrr, DHS Aviation instructor Dave Kleinschmidt said, “He is a big deal, what he’s done is a big deal, and he’s not done yet. He’s still going; he’s the Energizer Bunny!
“Admiral Zerr had all the same opportunities you do; he walked the same halls, sat in the same classrooms, read from the same Bible,” Mr. Kleinschmidt told his class. “It’s what a person does with those opportunities and the choices they make along the way that make the difference between becoming a U.S. Navy ship commander and being behind bars. As a former police officer, I can tell you, everyone has the potential to achieve great things if they make good decisions and choices as they go through their lives.”
In talking with our students, Adm. Zerr shared his personal philosophy on decision-making and life experiences. He emphasized the importance of teamwork, precision, and the lessons learned from his academic and military experiences.
“I’m here today as a Navy pilot, but that’s not how I think of myself. My mind, body, and spirit are made up of physical, mental, and moral Lego bricks. And I get a new brick from every person I meet and thank you for the ones you've already given me. I'm not so much me as I am a little bit of everybody I've met, and all the experiences I've had. And I had some here at Duchesne.
“My freshman and sophomore year, I was knocking down As and Bs… but then I got my driver’s license, and grades wound up kind of slipping down a rung on the ladder of importance to me. Then there was this dating thing. And I confess to you, my brothers and sisters, I was a little bit distracted. So, first semester, junior year, my report card had nothing but Bs and Cs on it. Then, Sister Matthew gave me a stink bomb of an F in Literature on the mid-semester report card for the second semester. I knew I’d been a little distracted, but I mean, an F? Did I deserve that F? Heck no!
“When the bell rang, I was out the door, down the hallway, and busted into Sister Matthew's classroom. She was sitting up there at her desk, reading a book. She didn't even look up to see who had busted into her place. Well, I stomped up there and I slapped that report card down and I said, ‘Sister, you gave me an F! I should have gotten a C!’ Very placidly, she looked up, there wasn't an emotion of any kind whatsoever showing on her face, and she said, ‘No, Jack, you should have gotten an A.’
“Right. I’m 84 years old now. That turned out to be the best, the most effective boot to the rear I have ever gotten. And in all the time I spent in the Navy, let me tell you, there were some experts at administering boots to the rear. But that one, from Sister Matthew, set me back on my heels, and I figured I was losing sight of some things that were awfully important, and just like what Mr. Kleinschmidt was talking about when we first started here, whatever you're shooting for, shoot for a stinkin' A. As long as you've given it an A effort, it doesn't matter if you get a B, C, D, or even an F. If you've given it the effort, that's what matters.”
Adm. Zerr went on to share with the group a number of situations throughout his life that “Jack, you should have gotten an A” echoed in his mind. Through the opportunities for schooling and advancement in the Navy to the life-and-death instances in service, he has always done his best to “give it an A.”
Having worked with Mr. Kleinschmidt in advance of the class meeting, Adm. Zerr was able to show video of his aircraft carrier experience in 1971 that helped to illustrate his stories of excitement and danger. He told the kids about his reason for wanting to learn to fly in the Navy, to be part of the action and try to make a difference. He informed them of the tight timing and proximity required for carrier flights, refueling in the air, and being in bombing situations. He talked about being shot down, and how his roommate became a POW.
Assistant Student Principal Debi (Westhues) Turner ’96, who was among the adults in the room, said, “I wish this had been the first class of the day, rather than the last class. I could listen to Admiral Zerr’s stories all day long.”
“I think the students absorbed Admiral Zerr’s message as I had hoped they would. They’ve endorsed his presentation for future classes to hear as well,” Mr. Kleinschmidt said. “Jack connected all the dots – to life, religion, the whole thing. He’s the real deal. Education wise, this was the best 50 minutes I could give my students this whole semester.”