Passing Of Retired NPS Photographer Jack Boucher

Jack E. Boucher, photographer for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) for over 46 years before his retirement in 2009, died on September 2nd from complications resulting from a heart ailment.

Born on September 4, 1931 in Buffalo, New York, Jack grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His professional career began with the Atlantic City Tribune and with the State of New Jersey, photographing sites along the newly created Garden State Parkway.

Jack came to National Park Service in 1958, originally working for both the Branch of Still and Motion Pictures and HABS, which was then part of the Eastern Office of Design and Construction in Philadelphia. He left in 1966 to become chief of historic sites for the state of New Jersey, returning to HABS in 1971.

Jack took photographs for HABS (and HAER and HALS) in 49 states and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and has likely contributed more to the HABS photographic collection at the Library of Congress than any other single individual. His work was the subject of a book entitled, A Record in Detail, The Architectural Photography of Jack E. Boucher, published by the University of Missouri Press, and has been featured in other publications, such as Landmarks of Prince Georges County, Maryland.

Jack’s images for HABS also appear routinely in professional journals and magazines and are frequently used by scholar’s to illustrate books and articles on America’s architectural history. In 1985, he received a meritorious service award, one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a federal employee.