Catching Up with Jack Brady

The Rosecrans High School Class of 73 podcast features an interview with Jack Brady. He attended Ohio State University and then returned to Zanesville, Ohio. Jack has worked as a basketball referee for 42 years and also had various jobs in banking, the oil field, and the mortgage market. He is heavily involved in volunteering, particularly with the Alzheimer's Association and a veterans benefit foundation. Jack is retired but still works part-time. He is excited about the upcoming reunion on July 8th and looks forward to catching up with everyone. Welcome to the Rosecrans High School Class of 73 podcast, where we're reaching out to old classmates and touching base with them, finding out what they're up to. Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Jack Brady. Say hi, Jack. Hi, guys. How we doing? Wonderful. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful to connect with you. Hey, tell us, Jack, about your journey since high school. Where have you lived? What have you been up to? Well, other than completing the four years at The Ohio State University. And then I transposed myself back down to beautiful Zanesville, Ohio, where I've lived for the last, you know, the rest of my natural life. And as far as what I've been doing, probably maybe the least desirable is I've been a basketball referee for 42 years. You're broke again. Well, I'm thick-skinned, I guess. Either that or I got tired of them laughing at me and didn't pay any attention. But some banking, some oil field, a lot of oil field work, buying leases, buying farms, buying pipe for oil field companies. Then I also did some road work, traveling Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia for a company out of Atlanta as their rep, working in the secondary mortgage market, selling titles and appraisals to companies. Very fruitful. Did it for 20-some years and met a lot of great people. But, you know, like I said, I've also, I don't know, been heavily into volunteering. My wife, you know, in her mind, she jokes with me. She said, you could be the volunteer from hell. But I have always wanted to be a volunteer, help people out where I could. Time is an asset. Time I've got. So I always would. It was Alzheimer's Association, Cancer Association. I was the head of our athletic boosters for 20 years at our high school. Now I am very heavily involved in a veteran's benefit foundation in Zanesville. Last year we sent 45 gentlemen on honor flights to D.C. I have been on three honor flights to D.C., which I always tell guys, there's nothing like it. It's just I like to be involved. I am semi-retired. I'm retired, but working part time now. So it's been interesting, but I just try to stay active and try to find a lover or someone I've been willing to put a lot of time into. And right now it's the veterans. Jack, that sounds awesome. You're really giving back to your community. That is super, super, super. And I'm sure that the foundation for that attitude was born at Rosecrans High. Well, I'm sure we could give Father Ernie Chuck or Sister Carol 90 percent of the credit, and they'd gladly take it. But it was just, you know, just trying to be social. I did my best as I remember it. I don't think there was anyone in the school or in our class that really thought I was a flaming jerk. So I tried to just treat everybody the same and tell them I'm no better than you, and we'll just go from there. Well, Jack, you're living evidence that not all referees are jerks, right? I'm trying to hold on to that. My son is doing it now. He's taking over for me, and I couldn't be happier for him. That's great. Jack, thank you so much for taking time to chat with us today. We're looking forward to talking to you in person at our reunion on July 8th. That's true. Actually, at our West of the Kingdom Booster Hall. That's how I got access to that hall, and that's where it will be. It's a great facility. The caterer is a longtime friend of mine. We cook banquets for every athletic team in the school. I think it opens the door to a great time. Wonderful. Thanks for your work in aligning that up. Much appreciated. I think it's going to be an exciting day and a great time to catch up with everybody. Thanks for spending some time with us here today, and we'll see you on July 8th. All right, Tom. Looking forward to it. Thanks, buddy.