ANNIVERSARY FEATURE
Jack Kirby
THE LIFE OF THE MAN WHO FOUNDED TAHOE DONNER By ALI DICKSON | Photos from AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A CALIFORNIA ENTREPRENEUR
Jack Kirby held many titles throughout his life: entrepreneur, naval pilot, husband, father, professional football player, real estate mogul and more. To most of us, though, we know Jack Kirby as the man whose ambition and determination created the association we know as Tahoe Donner. Take a deep dive into his life and adventures, captured from his book Autobiography of A California Entrepreneur.
EARLY START Born on September 21, 1922, in Los Angeles, California, Jack was raised with his parents, grandmother and younger sister. Early to experience the unprecedented effects of the Great Depression, Jack learned the potential of money from a young age. In such tight times, his parents distilled in him the power of earning one’s wealth. When he was 8 years old, Jack saved up $25 washing windows and mowing lawns to purchase a bike – only to find his parents had used that money to buy necessary groceries. This did not upset him, but it did provide a lasting impression of the importance of money. “The Great Depression followed me all the way through life, as I was always concerned that maybe, some time later on, we would experience another such period. It shaped a lot of the decisions that I would make later in life.” Another constant in his life from a young age was his passion for sports. He played football, baseball and track at Dorsey High School. Though his goal was to earn a scholarship to play football at the University of Southern California, he joined the Navy as a pilot after one semester of college following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Graduating from his program and reporting for duty through the Second World War, Jack traveled across the country as a pilot, settling in the San Francisco Bay Area before being deployed to the South Pacific. While on leave early in his naval career, Jack met his future wife, Ginny, at a beach party hosted by his USC classmates. They married soon after, and while Jack was deployed, Ginny gave birth to their only son, Steve.
PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL Upon his return, the new family purchased a small home in North Hollywood, where Jack continued working odd jobs. Together, Ginny and Jack decided his return to USC would be for the best, and he rejoined the university, playing football and gaining attention as a halfback and defensive back for the Trojans that eventually played – though lost – in the 1948 Rose Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines. While his football status was becoming well-known, attending school was financially draining, and he requested to withdraw from the team his senior year. In response, his coach scheduled a meeting with the owner of the Washington Redskins (now
