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Jack Egan Collection, Circa 1909-1960s

 

Summary

Extent:
1 Hollinger Box
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Jack Egan Collection, Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library.

Background

Scope and content:

The Jack Egan Collection includes 103 photographs, an audiocassette tape, photocopies of Egan's military documents, a photocopy of a handwritten account by Egan of some of his experiences during World War II, and scrapbook pages and clippings. The photographs are primarily from the 1930s showcasing life in and around Fort Lauderdale. Featuring buildings and beaches, swimmers and sunbathers, a president, an Olympian, and much more, these photographs capture small pockets of the vibrancy of Fort Lauderdale. Highlights include photos of Fort Lauderdale High School, Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale Beach, and local businesses such as the 700 Club Bar and Thomas Scott Cobb's Mattress Company. The scrapbook pages and clippings mostly focus on Fort Lauderdale High School activities, residents in military service, Fort Lauderdale history, and Olympian Katherine Rawls and the audiocassette tape (OH1100) contains a US Treasury salute to Jack Egan.

Biographical / historical:

John Francis "Jack" Egan was born in Cuba on January 9, 1923 to James W. Egan of New York City and Bernadette A. Egan of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. A resident of Fort Lauderdale, Jack joined the US Army Air Corps in 1940 at age 17. Jack eventually served in China as part of the 14th Air Force, also known as the "Flying Tigers," and was assigned to the 23rd fighter group. He gained acclaim after guiding fellow pilot John E. Meyer to safety after Meyer's plane was shelled, leaving his vision severely limited. Egan flew by Meyer's side sending guidance via radio until they both landed safely. Unfortunately, on January 16, 1945, shortly after his heroic flight, Egan's plane was shot down, leaving him stranded in enemy territory. With the help of locals, he then spent twelve weeks trekking back to safety. He was honorably discharged after the end of World War II in 1945. Once he returned from military service, Egan attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and earned a bachelor's degree in 1948. After this, he worked for the US Senate, serving as a file clerk and aide to both Senator Claude Pepper as well as Secretary of the Senate Leslie Biffle. Egan continued his studies at Georgetown attending law school during some of his time working in the Senate. However, he left his Senate work after five years and ultimately earned a master's degree in social work from Loyola University in Chicago. Egan spent the rest of his career in the field of social work including as a school social worker, director of an alcoholism treatment center, and more. Jack Egan died on November 5, 1981 in Hillsborough, Florida at age 58 and was buried at Bay Pines National Cemetery near St. Petersburg, Florida. The materials contained in this collection were assembled by Jack and kept by his sister, Mary Ann Woods, after his death. She was born March 19, 1929 in New York City and died May 14, 2004 in Bradenton, Florida. She donated the collection to the Broward County Historical Commission in 1985.

Acquisition information:
Mary Ann Woods (Jack Egan's sister) donated the materials to the Broward County Historical Commission on December 31, 1985 (Accession BCHA-1985.8).
Processing information:

This collection received item and file level processing by Alex Ibarra in April 2026. This finding aid may be updated to reflect new descriptions as well as acquisitions to the collection.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The Jack Egan Collection is open for research.

Preferred citation:

Jack Egan Collection, Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library.

Location of this collection:
Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library
100 S. Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale
FL
33301
USA