Jack Cavanaugh

Jack’s early years were spent in Seattle, graduating from High School in 1956, followed by graduating from the University of Washington in 1960 with an Economics Major.  Early activities included Boy Scouts as well as many years in the Seattle Mountaineers as an active mountain climber.

Following graduation from University, Jack joined the Boeing Company from 1960 to 1995.  He worked in Engineering Cost and Schedules on the 727, 737, 747, and Super Sonic Transport Programs for 10 years before transferring to Military Programs, becoming a Program Finance Controller/Program Planning and Control Manager for Major Military Programs.  In that capacity he also re-designed Government Accounting Manuals outlining new cost collection methods for dual Military Programs utilizing the same electronic technology.  Additionally, he provided cost analysis leading to the startup of a new Boeing Electronic factory in Corinth Texas. 

Air Force Academy. Subsequently in 1990 he was also asked to travel to India as a missionary and taught English and Economics in several colleges in Hyderabad and southern India.

After about a year at Boeing he entered the US Army and spent a tour of duty in Alaska at Fort Greely, and subsequently the Fort Wainwright Hospital in Fairbanks.  Our main mission during the Cold War was supporting the DEW line,  (Distant Early Warning) which consisted of B-52 bombers flying 24-7 around the Arctic Circle.  Jack spent his spare time flying his airplane, ski racing, ice skating, mountain climbing, and running dog sleds.

Jack became involved with the mental health field in 1987 and was appointed to the King County Mental Health Board, where Jack became chairman for two terms (1991-1993) and oversaw the first managed mental health care system in the US.  Though the Mental Health System in King County was a humanist organization, Jack always placed a Proverb from the book of Proverbs in the Monthly Meeting Minutes which were distributed to all the major Mental Health Boards in the USA. 

Salvation did not come until Jack was about 28 years old.  Following that memorable event, he attended Basic Youth Conflicts three times, as well as Promise Keepers.  He became chairman of the Deacon Board at Midway Community Covenant Church, Des Moines WA.  Later Jack and his wife Eunice served on the Billy Graham Crusade telephone answering team in North Seattle.  Jack was also asked to join the finance committee at Overlake Church in Redmond WA.

Beginning in 1989 Jack travelled as a short term missionary to Taiwan for 3 months and taught English daily over the Radio for Overseas Radio and Television.  He also taught English at several Taiwanese Universities as well as to senior officials in the government and the

In 1999, Jack was again asked to travel to the Mission Field.  This time it was Albania in the middle of the Kosovo Crisis.  It was complete chaos, as Pastor Dale Wine and Jack worked in the UNHC (United Nations High Command) refugee camps bringing the Gospel to the desperate Kosovars.

Eventually Jack and Eunice designed and helped start a 2000 watt FM Christian radio station in Korcha, Albania.  (Radio Emanuel 95.7 FM)  The signal reached Albania, Macedonia and Greece with the Gospel. We recorded hundreds of English Teaching programs including music.  We also contacted Focus on the Family requesting permission to use Dr. James Dobson’s radio tapes.  We hired actors and translators from the University and put Dr. Dobson’s program on the air in the Albanian language. It instantly became the #1 radio program in Albania to Albanians hungry for Biblical teaching and the Gospel.

Meanwhile, Jack worked with a local Seattle author/Pastor as an unnamed research writer/editor to create the Biblical Commentary on the Book of Romans for the “God’s Word for the Biblically-Inept series”.  (Starburst Publishers)  Subsequently, Thomas Nelson purchased the rights and we wrote the book all over again, publishing it as “The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible”.

It was in Albania, that Jack met Edi Demo as an unsaved young man in Korcha.  Subsequently Edi was saved and joined Campus Crusade taking the Gospel to the remote mountain villages of Albania.  He eventually came to the USA to seek funding to start Churches in his country, and we established a 501©3 called the Illyricum Movement.  Jack joined the Board as a founding member, and eventually became President. 

We subsequently added Witness Mongolia with Shakia and Haka to bring the Gospel to Mongolia.  Because of medical needs in Mongolia, a new 501©3 has been formed to focus exclusively on Mongolia including their medical needs. 

 Jack enjoys playing trombone in various church orchestras as well as painting portraits for family.  But, most of all he enjoys being Grandfather to 11 grandchildren.