I was 16 when I did my first show at Lakeland. it was a revue called, "TV, Movies, and More." And Jack Underwood was the first person out of all those new strangers to come up and say hello to me. Within minutes he killed my shyness, and he and I began to exchange very crude, and very dirty jokes. We had a number in that show called, "Solid Gold" for a tv show that I had never heard of. Our costumes were black leotards underneath all of our costume changes. But Jack obviously couldnt fit a leotard, so he did the "Solid Gold" number topless, as in, he was in a sequined gold vest (as we all were)but there was no shirt underneath, just Jack's round belly. The after I registered for my wedding in 2008 on Amazon.com, Jack and Moira were the first people to buy my husband and I a gift, and I know it's shallow and it doesn't matter, but I have to say that he got us the most expensive gift on the list. When I thanked him, he said, "I should've bought the whole registry for you." My wedding was two weeks after the run of "Arsenic & Old Lace" and he lamented that he and Moira would not be able to make it since they were going to England. I told him that was fine, and that it didnt matter. He then tried to give me $300 - which I laughed off and refused. It's just money, it shouldn't matter, but I grew up without a lot of it, so I knew how much he meant it when he offered. But that wasn't the extent of his kindness. Jack was always behind the bar at the lounge, building sets, teaching me how to play the piano, and always telling me I was beautiful and talented, and that I had "It". He made me kiss him every time I saw him. I would go a few months without being to Lakeland after I moved to Raleigh, but every time I came back, he would track me down until he found me, and then there would be a kiss and a huge bear hug, and he'd ask me what was new. When I was the lead in 'Cuckoo's Nest", to say I was'nervous' was an understatement. But every time he found me backstage, he'd hug me and tell me that no one else could do it the way I could. I loved how Jack did anything and everything he could for people. I loved how he was more than happy with taking a part where he had no lines and all he had to do was stand there with his arms out. He just loved being at the theater, around all of his friends. Jack believed in youth, in the potential that young people have, and he was never without a piece of wisdom for me - usually with some sort of vulgar punchline. My favorite line was this: Me: "Jack, do you want me to grab you a water?" Jack: "Do bears shit in the woods?" To be honest, Jack reminded me of my own father. And he knew it. Jack's main gift was to make others laugh, and when I could make HIM laugh, it was like hitting the jackpot. Because he was smart, very smart. People usually took him at face-value with his jokes, but behind that, he was one of the most intelligent people I ever met. Jack would explain to me the infrastructure of IBM and old computers. And new computers, he would track Van down and talk IT with him. He once sent me a 20 page email all about his theories on the intangibles of the universe, God, the Space Time Continuum, and the mystic travels of energy and feeling. Heavy, right? But it was brilliant. Jack was always there to calm my tears and tell me to be strong. He would tell me all of his past regrets and tell me to 'always think of others' before making any decisions. He would tell Van to always treat me like a princess. And the way he loved Moira, the way he would look at her, like he was meeting her for the first time everyday. I am so angry for being in Washington. I am so angry that I am not there to say goodbye. Jack meant more so much to me, he was a real friend and I loved him like a father. Jack, I will miss all those laughs And everything else.