He graduated Stanford University in 1952 and earned his PhD. from USC.
He taught at San Diego State University from 1966 to 1997 during which time, he published 10 books on modern American literature, among them the authorized biographies, The True Adventures of John Steinbeck, Writer (1984), which won the PEN-WEST USA award for non-fiction and Wallace Stegner: His Life and Work which won the Evans Biography Award.
Jack is survived by his wife, Sue Ellen and their two daughters, Katrina La Grandeur and Belinda Michaels, their two granddaughters, Sydney Michaels and Julia Michaels.
