Government Service

Jack began his government service as a town meeting member from 1990 to 1996. In 1996, Jack chaired the Arlington Democratic Town Committee. The ADTC was praised for its active role during the highly contested State, U.S. Senate, and Presidential elections. The Committee was responsible for the opening of the Regional Headquarters and a major Democratic Fundraising event with Congressman Joseph Kennedy as the featured speaker. Jack was elected to the Arlington Board of Selectmen in 1997. As a 4-term Selectman, the cornerstone of Jack’s tenure has been his attention to constituent service. He has made a practice of always responding to phone calls and emails, and facilitating informal meetings with residents to address issues of concern. Jack has an extraordinary ability to collaborate with others, often in tense and difficult circumstances, to reach consensus and to solve complex problems. He has been a very effective Selectman as evident by his long list of accomplishments and community involvement.

Personal

Jack attended the Arlington Public School system and graduated from Arlington High School where he was a member of the 1971 State Hockey Championship Team. In his sophomore year at Arlington High School Jack met Dale Dolan, his wife of thirty-two years. They are the proud parents of three children, Lauren, a graduate of Union College with an Environmental Degree, John, a Tufts Graduate and third year law student at Suffolk University and Sarah, a sophomore at Stonehill College.

Jack earned a bachelors’ Degree in Business Management from Curry College and an Associates Degree in Management and Information Systems from Northeastern University. In addition, he completed the Municipal Policy Program at the Kennedy School of Government.

Jack was employed for over 30 years at Polaroid Corporation in Waltham. As a Production Manager, he was responsible for production scheduling, equipment and facilities maintenance, procurement of contract services, and the supervision of a 30-member organization.

Jack has close personal ties to the communities in the District. His sisters, Judy Marchese and Rosemary Thompson, both raised their families in Burlington. His cousin Edward Hurd lives in Billerica where he has been active in the community, including serving two terms on the Board of Selectmen. Jack’s nephew, Ryan Soderquist, and his wife, Jessie (Booth), reside in Woburn. Barbara Boudreau, Jack’s cousin, lives in Lexington with her family.

Jack’s Immediate Family

Jack is the youngest in a family of five. His dad, upon returning home from the service after WWII, moved his family to Veteran’s housing to begin the pursuit of the American dream of family and home ownership. That dream was cut short after Jack’s dad lost a long battle with cancer when Jack was only seven years old. At the age of thirteen, Jack and his family suffered an additional devastating loss of his brother David who was “Killed in Acton” while he was serving his country in Viet Nam. Those two traumatic events had a profound impact on Jack’s life and shaped who he is as a person today.

During this difficult time, Jack found sports to be an avenue of interest. He was an active member of the Arlington Boys and Girls Club. He enjoyed playing baseball and football but his true love was playing hockey, which he has participated in at the youth and high school level over the past 30 years. Sports instilled in Jack the spirit of competition and fair play, values he has strived to pass along to his children and the youth that he has coached. Having received guidance and support from his own coaches, teachers, and dedicated mentors who had volunteered in programs of his youth, Jack felt compelled to give back to the community and the programs that were so critically important to him and his family. These experiences and the lessons learned through out Jack’s childhood have lead to a lifetime of volunteerism, youth, community, and civic service.

Jack is a member of an active and civic minded family. His mother, Mildred Hurd, has been a tireless advocate for seniors as: a volunteer, an ombudsperson, and currently serving her 18th year on the Arlington Council on Aging at the age of ninety-two.

Jack’s Roots

Jack’s grandparents, Herbert C. and Catherine Foley Hurd, raised their ten children (8 boys and 2 girls) in Arlington. During the 1930’s, the father and 8 sons (all with the talent for playing baseball) formed the Hurd “Family 9” semi-professional baseball team. The team was well known in Arlington and the surrounding towns and played throughout the greater Boston area. The team has the distinction of being the only known father & sons semi-professional team in the country.

In WWII, six of the eight brothers served in the armed services. Jack’s dad, John Hurd, served in the US Marines. Walter, the youngest, was “Killed in Action” in France in October 1944 upon returning to duty with his unit after recovering from earlier injuries received in Italy. The former “Reservoir” Field in Arlington Heights was later renamed the “Walter G. Hurd Field” in his memory.

Special Honors & Recognition

• Thompson Elementary School Hall of Fame, 1999
• Massachusetts High School Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame, 2002
• The Children’s Room, Center for Grieving Children, Person of the Year
• 2005 Arlington Rotary Club Person of the Year, 2007