Today, the world has lost another of its young, prosperous souls. Yes, the birds will still migrate south in the winter, and yes, it will still rain in April, but our beloved world will never be the same again. On this day, September 6, 2012, a piece of all of us died, along with 17 year old Jack Schultz. A senior, Jack Schultz was merely a year away from graduating from the prestigious Chicago high school, Whitney M. Young. Teachers have said that he always had a smile on his face and even in the most solemn of times he could make you laugh. Even though his timing was off from time to time, he always gave it a shot. Jack was out-going, charismatic and had a way of charming almost anybody. Ask Principal at Whitney M. Young Dr. Joyce Kenner. Kenner related to us that she “…always knew that he was a little bit of a troublemaker, even from the start. But beneath all those mishaps, the kid had promise. He had a heart of gold and he was never afraid to speak his mind, in any situation, which was half the reason he got into trouble, but it was also the reason why we all loved him. The world lost a joyous human being the day Jack Schultz passed away.”
After he graduated from Whitney M. Young, Jack planned on joining the AmeriCorps to participate in City Year teaching at under privileged inner-city schools. He was a caring and sympathetic human being who cared for every living soul and only wished to see others succeed. After completing City Year and receiving his masters in humanities at the University of Maryland, he was going to attempt to enlist in the Peace Corps. Upon completion of the Peace Corps, Jack had plans for marrying a certain high school sweetheart who wishes to remain unnamed due to the shock of his tragic death.
Young Jack Schultz had a promising future ahead of him and it’s a tragedy that it ended so soon. However his story will live on through eternity. And you might be melancholy thinking about how Jack has passed away, but the way I figure, he’s probably up there right now with the Big Guy, cracking jokes and smiling. Just to pass the time.
