Jack Eliason, a Crozet College Freshman

From Israel’s Six-Day War and South Africa under apartheid to Belfast bloodshed, to the fall of the Iron Curtain and Hong Kong handover – Eliason was an unmatched international journalist as well as an encouraging mentor to younger foreign correspondents.

Crozet native Eric Lee credits his local community and Western Albemarle High School with helping him reach his educational goals, particularly his pursuit of American Studies or Political Science major.

Early Life and Education

Jack Eliason was born and raised by a single mother. He attended Lasalle Academy before attending Dean College to earn his business administration degree. Jack then joined the United States Marine Corps, serving in Okinawa for 10 years as part of its “Ten Year Draftee Program”.

During his military service, he became adept at fly fishing, even teaching his family the sport. Additionally, he continued fishing throughout Rhode Island until his late eighties.

He currently ranks among the top runners in Class 3, playing an instrumental role in Western Albemarle’s success over recent years. Gannon Willcutts of Western Albemarle also stands out in their competition and shows an exceptional team mentality when competing. They work tirelessly and strive towards becoming better every year.

Professional Career

Eliason became involved with politics after graduating from MSU, serving as county commissioner and consulting for TechRanch (a research center for entrepreneurs) in Bozeman. Additionally, he served on both boards for National Association of Counties and County Commissioners Association of Ohio.

He hails from Crozet and credits it as providing him with the chance to run at a higher level. Though scholarships were available from Georgetown and Washington & Lee universities, he ultimately decided upon UVA because it felt like the ideal place.

Eliason’s hard work ethic and competitive spirit shine through in his performances. He looks forward to his future in running, hoping to major in American Studies or Political Science at UVA before going on to coach or broadcast sports after graduation.

Achievement and Honors

Eliason has been recognized by USA Track & Field and won the Central Virginia Cross Country championship last fall, receiving offers from numerous Division I schools at that level. However, UVa stood out due to their outstanding facilities for athletes as well as feeling an affinity with Lindy Bain and assistant coaches Cass Girvin and Charlie Hurt.

Benirschke joins Conor Murphy, Gary Martin, James Donahue, Nate Mountain and Wes Porter as current UVA runners who have broken the 4-minute mile barrier. Crozet resident Benjaminirschke credits support from local community and family with helping him achieve this milestone; ultimately he hopes to pursue a career in politics or education – perhaps coaching or sports broadcasting.

Personal Life

Jack Eliason is an ambitious student who understands that success at a higher level requires hard work. He credits Crozet community members as well as Western Albemarle track coaches Lindy Bain, Cass Girvin and Charlie Hurt with helping him realize his goals and achieve them.

Through his writing career, he traveled the globe extensively – from bloody Belfast and apartheid-era South Africa, booming Israel, the fall of the Iron Curtain and handover of Hong Kong among many other locales.

His insightful reporting and exquisite prose graced AP newswires for nearly half a century, winning him both admiration from colleagues at the AP as well as being beloved among younger foreign correspondents he mentored. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him; he leaves behind his wife Eva and daughter Avital to carry on his legacy.

Net Worth

His clients include financial institutions, developers, investors and sponsors in energy financing transactions utilizing tax equity investments as well as Federal production tax credits, energy investment tax credits and accelerated depreciation bonuses for wind turbines, solar PV panels, biomass energy systems or any other emerging technology.

Jack also provides advice and representation in transactional matters related to renewables, and is recognized by Chambers Global and USA in Project Finance and Energy: Renewable/Alternative Power (2018-2021). In particular, he regularly advises clients before the Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service concerning their respective policies regarding these technologies.

Eliason’s miniseries and television movies include 1996 HBO hit Titanic, which debuted a year before James Cameron’s blockbuster film hit movie theaters. Other Emmy-nominated works by Eliason include two-part CBS miniseries The Last Don, featuring Danny Aiello as Don Domenico Clericuzio of the mafia crime saga.