John C. “Jack” Streeter Jack Streeter had an engineer mindset. He was also a bit frugal. Combined, these traits brought him the maximum usage out of anything. This is a man who had the same eraser for a decade, a practical minimalist who joked that he didn't need another because he never made mistakes. Jack was born in Hudson Falls, N.Y., in 1939. He grew up in South Glens Falls and played basketball at Queensbury High School—something he dearly loved. Upon graduation in 1957, he enlisted in the Army for two years as a postal worker stationed at Fort Knox and then enrolled in SUNY Adirondack, earning an engineering degree. He took a job with an engineering frm out of New York City that happened to be in Glens Falls doing road work and followed the company around the state. When he landed in Rush in 1975 for a project at the Rochester airport, he planted roots with his wife, Winnie. Jack stayed with the frm for 32 years until it closed its Rochester ofce. He was unemployed for only a week before coming to KBH in January 1996, through his friendship with Dick Mack. When the tower inspection and repair work began in 1999, Jack took the lead. He made sure the employees in the Towers Division had boot allowances and ample per diem pay when working out of town, and he liked to give out sweatshirts. He became president the same year, at a time when the company was not doing well fnancially. Many families depended on the company for survival, and Jack was determined to provide security for the employees and put the organization on a more stable footing. Upon Dick’s passing, Jack became the driving force that brought the company into the black. His close relationships with the city of Rochester helped us to get work. His steady attention to the bottom line and knack for saving costs helped steer the company in the right direction. Jack served as president until 2004, and three years later the company achieved positive equity for the frst time. Those who knew Jack remember him as a man of integrity, a solid, quiet mentor for so many. He was patient, precise, meticulous, and organized. (When he and Scott Ingalls shared an ofce, Jack was known as Felix of The Odd Couple.) His memory was legendary: He easily recalled the towns, people, names, birth dates, and specifc numbers from jobs of years ago. Jack was a fexible and adaptive thinker. His engineering roots never left him and, combined with his frugal personality, usually resulted in a creative solution on the spot. Once when Jack and Winnie were about to leave for a snowmobile trip, he noticed a taillight on one of the snowmobiles was out. They were behind schedule, but he needed to fx it before they left. He asked Winnie for a can, and she found a small baking powder can that he covered in red cellophane, fashioned into a taillight, and ft inside the sled. This engineered fx-it worked all the way from Rush to Old Forge and back. Working wasn’t just a job to him; it was a way of life, and retirement was a difcult decision. He saw that younger people were bringing fresh ideas, growth, and vision to the company, and recognized it was time to slide out. After he retired in 2019 at the age of 80, he spent his winters in Sun Lakes, Ariz. He was a cherished friend and made himself available to the leaders of the company until his death in May 2023. 12 The Next Hundred Years
