I have been observing Jack Block, Sr. for over 30 years.

This former White Center schoolboy is a graduate of Highland Park Elementary, West Seattle High and the U-Dub class of 1957 with a degree in international studies who went on to become a Port of Seattle commissioner for a record of 28 years. He is now retired and living with a new wife in a beautiful home overlooking the ferry dock in West Seattle.

Not bad for a working guy, a longshoreman, crane operator on Seattle's waterfront. The house has a gorgeous 50-foot pool, a landscaped yard with exotic rock imported from Canada, a gazebo and waterfalls with a killer view of the Olympics and knockout sunsets.

Is America great or what? This is a local-boy-makes-good guy whose family was barefoot poor, who used to deliver the White Center News, and boxed and wrestled in a ring set up at the White Center Fieldhouse. His weight was around 147 pounds but he casts a much larger shadow now. He and his equally wretched buddies used to hang out with soldiers manning a barrage balloon station on 9th SW during World War II. When the GIs were not on duty they often drifted over to a park, but then a heavily wooded hideaway where they could get tanked on beer. Jack and fellow scroungers made spending money cadging beer bottles and cleaning rifles for the soldiers.

To this day a fanatic fisherman, he often walked to Miller Creek in what is Normandy Park and caught sea-run cutthroat trout. Now he fishes in Alaska for salmon and once caught a 400-pound halibut.

He is the father of Jack Block Jr., a Burien city councilman and three daughters. Several years ago his wife of over 40 years died and he recently married the former Vicky Schmits, who is retired now but was assistant manager of King County Licensing.

When I asked him how he got along with the other board members of the port he said, "I am the only member who voted against the third runway but they tolerated me because they were all downtown Seattle-oriented and had the vote."

He is proud of a huge public park in West Seattle named after him and said the other commissioners agreed to honor him for his long years of service and putting a park in a Superfund toxic waste site was his idea.

Jerry Robinson can be reached at wseditor@robinsonnews.com.