Jack Minnis
1926-2005
Jack Minnis was born in Blackwell, Oklahoma in 1926. He served as Research Director in SNCC’s Atlanta Office from 1952 to 1967.
Before joining SNCC Minnis worked as a lawyer with the Southern Regional Council. Judy Richardson, who worked with Jack in the Atlanta Office, wrote and produced the documentary Eyes on the Prize said, “Whenever I speak on campuses about SNCC, I talk about Minnis…about SNCC’s research department and Jack: He was this crusty older white guy who smoked like a fiend, looked generally unkempt, and could get research from a turnip. He was always finding information –like buried treasure –that would make all the difference… the way Minnis organized material had affected me. Minnis’s chronology was invaluable in helping northern journalists understand the extent of what we were dealing with.”
Jack Minnis died July 14, 2005 in New Orleans.