North Pomfret, Vermont

John "Jack" Crowl, a man universally loved by those who knew him, died at the Jack Byrne Center on September 11th. He had a short lived but tenacious blood disorder. His last few weeks were physically hard but he was still working with teams of doctors at Dartmouth Hitchcock to combat the disease. His family was with him every step of the way.

Jack was a founder of The Chronicle of Higher Education, a newspaper aimed to make a difference in academia by focusing on delivering the news to teachers and administrators all over the nation. Jack began as a reporter (his lifetime dream) and then managing editor and finally publisher and CFO. Jack's reporting and overseeing the newsroom earned them a George Polk award and him an AAUP Writer Award.

Jack was a Type-1 diabetic and noticed that when he visited his second home in Woodstock, his insulin requirements were substantially less than they were in Washington, D.C., while working at The Chronicle. He opted for early retirement at 52 and moved full-time to Vermont.

Floundering at first from lack of routine, he and his wife thought that buying the farm stand for sale in West Woodstock might be a fun affair. And he did enjoy the planning. But the execution and the demand that retail puts on owners was not for him. Luckily it was right up his son Patrick's alley, so he turned the store over to Patrick and enjoyed watching him make sure The Woodstock Farmers' Market excelled.

All was not lost for Jack. He not only was a trustee of many Vermont organizations but always lent a hand with whatever expertise he could share. The Vermont Arts Council, The Vermont Folklife Center, Vermont, Vermont Life and Eating Well Magazines , VPR and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

All the contacts he made working as he did led to his opening a publishing house, Thistle Hill Publications. He won awards or was cited for every single book he published. Most were about a segment of Vermont people. He closed it in 2015.

Jack leaves behind his devoted wife, Gaal Shepherd Crowl, his loving son, Patrick, his daughter-in-law Stacy, his grandson Liam and his former wife and mother of Patrick, Dana Crowl. He has left an emptiness in many lives, having touched so many people.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to ChaD (Children's Hospital at Dartmouth.)

An on line guest book can be found at cabotfh.com