Jack McCann (John Joseph McCann, Sr.), alias “Calico Jack,” 87, of Morehead City, NC, passed away on December 11, 2022. Jack became Eta Beta # 8.
A life celebration will be held from 2:00-5 p.m. on Sunday, March 26, 2023, the 64th anniversary of the ECU Second National Swimming and Diving Championship, at Jack’s Waterfront Bar, first floor, Morehead City waterfront.
Jack was a six-time All-American swimmer at ECU, specializing in the breaststroke, using his original whip kick that he was seen using as early as 1940. He was a Pennsylvania High School State Diving Champion. He inspired students and coached swimming in Charlotte, NC. He later turned his talents to tennis court construction and patented a sub-surface irrigation system for soft courts. Jack was also a recognized tennis player and played for the American team in the American-Mexican Friendship Doubles Osuna Cup.
Jack was a part of a group of young men at East Carolina College/University who started a social fraternity dedicated to doing things. Today, that Eta Beta chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity maintains a record of social responsibility and good works by young men with the highest academic achievement scores of record.
Jack was a highly respected and talented speckle trout fisherman and waterman. His skills as a duck, pheasant, and quail hunter brought attention to sports writers. He won Retriever Field Trials with Labrador Retrievers that he trained.
A storehouse of stories is his flying his Aeronca and Cessna airplanes. Jack constructed an air strip on Harker’s Island, NC, to accommodate his commutes.
Jack’s enjoyment of Beach music and dancing, especially his triple spin, coined ‘Dancin’s ma whole life!’
Jack is survived by family and many friends with great ‘Calico’ stories to tell.
To honor Jack’s contributory life and to aid Lewy Body dementia research, memorials may be sent to:
Wooten Family Initiative for Brain Health Research Endowment 5887000
ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation-
2200 South Charles Blvd. Ste. 1500 |Mail Stop 659
Greenville, NC 27858-4353
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