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Jack (born Jack Sanders) had a
relatively uneventful childhood. Oh, sure, the
other kids teased him because he looked a little
different than all of the other boys and girls, but his
parents told him: It's not what you look like on
the outside that counts, but who you are on the
inside." Jack knew that he didn't want to be a
social outcast for the rest of his life, so he did
everything he could to make himself a better person.
By
the time Jack hit college, he excelled at academics,
sports, and life in general. There wasn't anything
that Jack failed at, if he put his mind to it.
Jack made Golden Gloves in boxing by his junior year at
the University of Chatanooga, and placed second in
county for wrestling four years running (Jack had a
problem breaking out of headlocks, for some
reason). He excelled in speech competitions, and
played the lead role in the senior production of "Oh!
Einstein". Jack has a masters degree in Communication.
While
in college, Jack met the people who would shape his
future. A long-term romance with a woman by the
name of Jill McDonald
turned to marriage shortly after college. As Jack
turned 24, the happy couple gave birth to Jack Jr., the
spitting image of his father. Jack met his future
business partners while attending the University of
Chatanooga. Four friends, Terry Graham, Bob Lacrosse,
Margaret
Baretta, and Bill
Hopkins were working on the business plan of a
fast-food restaurant chain for their doctoral thesis.
Jack
became involved with the project when he agreed to act
as the restaurant's spokesperson. Jack's dream was to
make the world a better place. He knew that he
could make an impact here by insisting that the
chain use recycled goods, and by promoting a healthy,
family-oriented restaurant. The thesis work was a
rousing success, and within a couple of years the five
friends had all of the investors and capital needed to
put their plan into action. This was the beginning
of Jack's Box.
There
were problems from the start. Jack, as the
spokesperson for the restaurant, did not have the power
to shape day-to-day decisions in the business. The
contracts to acquire recycled goods were soon discarded
in favor of other vendors, and rumors of corruption
spread throughout the company. Jack was enjoying making
commercials, and being involved in the creative process
of promoting the restaurant, but the dream soon became a
nightmare.
Restaurants were closed from outbreaks of hepatitis and
e-coli. Rumors started floating around concerning
horse meat in the burgers, and rat tails in the
fries. Accusations were made that the ice cream
was actually a non-dairy substitute! Worse, some
of the toys given away in the kids meals were deemed
unsafe for toddlers. Then things really went to
hell. Discontented franchisees brought lawsuits
against the founders of the company, decrying rampant
bribery, corruption, and sexual harassment. Terry
Graham was caught with a (cross-dressing!) prostitute,
and Margaret Baretta had a known drinking problem.
Rumors that the local Italian mafia might be behind some
of the restaurant’s troubles didn’t help. Things
were looking bad.
Jack was found innocent of the charges brought against
the founders, but not before the stress from the
lawsuits broke apart his marriage. Jack Jr. was given
into his mothers care. Government fines and legal
fees eventually shut down the restaurant chain, and the
company went bankrupt -- the original founders are
still in court fighting the charges brought against them
and trying to restructure the restaurant finances.
Jobless and alone for the first time in many years, Jack
has set about rebuilding his life.
Walking the
streets one night, Jack came across an older woman being
harassed by some street punks. Knowing that it was
the right thing to do, Jack went to the woman's defense
-- rescuing the woman from an otherwise unpleasant
evening, but gaining the animosity of a group calling
themselves the Spanish Flyboys. After that
evening, Jack realised that maybe he can still make the
world a better place. Not in one sweeping motion,
as he intended with Jack's Box, but one life at a time.
Jack
is now 35 years old, and has been divorced for one
year. He recently purchased a new house -- smaller
than the one his wife got -- and is trying to rebuild
his life. Maybe, just maybe, there is some room in
this new life for some heroism. Jack could be a
vigilante, couldn't he?
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