Jack Green, Buffalo Optical president, Amherst hockey coach, manager
by DAVID F. SHERMAN Managing Editor

G re e n

John F. "Jack" Green, 70, retired president of Buffalo Optical Co., died Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006.

Mr. Green was an avid coach and manager in the Amherst Hockey Association, helping guide youth teams to numerous state and national championships.

Born in Buffalo, he graduated from Bennett High School and attended the University of Buffalo for one year. He wanted to become an optician, and the only school in the area offering such a program was Erie County Technical Institute, now Erie Community College, so he transferred.

Mr. Green served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during the Korean War, and upon his return, joined the staff of Buffalo Optical Co.

He worked his way up through the company, playing a key role in the opening of the company's branch offices in several suburban communities. He retired as president less than two years ago.

"He could not wait to be president," said his wife, the former Sally Newman. "He was a Buffalo guy through and through."

Mr. Green was a member of several professional organizations, including the Buffalo Executives and the Lions Club. Yet he derived equal enjoyment from his voluntary role as a "hockey dad."

Although his experience playing hockey as a youth was limited, he became swept up in the family that served as the foundation for the Amherst Hockey Association in the early 1980s.

His son, Sean, was a member of the Amherst travel teams that won the national pee wee and major bantam championships two years apart in the early eighties. Their rosters were identical, making them perhaps the only teams in U.S. amateur hockey history to win two titles.

Mr. Green was one of the dedicated fathers who served as chauffeurs, chaperones and critics for the eager boys.

"Jack enjoyed watching them play. He was Sean's best critic," said Mrs. Green. "He knew how to make it come across, how to make him improve. Jack lived for it."

Al Mudd, whose son Michael played on the same stellar teams, recalled Mr. Green's ability to entertain the troops long before the advent of video games and VCRs.

"Jack was known for doing great card tricks on the road," Mudd recalled. "I don't think there was a rink in southern Ontario that we didn't play at. Those are the kinds of friendships you develop when you're with the same people three or four days a week, eight months a year for 15 years."

In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Green is survived by two daughters, Melissa Gagliano and Elizabeth Wright, and six grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial was held Saturday, Nov. 11 in St. Gregory the Great Church. Arrangements were made by the Dengler & Roberts Funeral Home.