Daniel Black

Picture Title: Jack Black

DANIEL JASPER BLACK, JR.
1907-1982

Jack, as most people called him, came from a strong Scottish Family on his father’s side. He was born in August of 1907 at Point Caswell in Pender County.  His birthplace, which is still standing, was originally built somewhere around the early 1900’s by his father, Captain Black. He spent much of his boyhood there and shared many cherished memories with his family about his “early Point Caswell days”.  He, being the only male son, had quite a lot of chores to do around this small Plantation Home.
In 1923 his whole family moved to Wilmington, NC.

He attended New Hanover High School and went on to Davidson College.  Jack obtained a degree in 1930. These were the beginning of the depression years, but that did not stop him from ambitiously starting his own business with himself as agent, driver, deliverer in one truck. This little business adventure of hauling freight grew by leaps and bounds in the succeeding years with contracts from both the state and Interstate Commerce Commission.  His fleet of seven trucks were seen over most of Eastern North Carolina bearing his name, Black’s Motor Express.” This company continued and prospered on up to his retirement years.  He selected to sell out in the middle ’60’s, as he watched so many other of his competitors fail during that time due to the completion of the oil and gas pipeline. His business sold for a profit as lasting proof of his successful business career as owner and operator of “Black’s Motor Express”.

In his civic life, he had become involved in the Masons, the Exchange Club, in the SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives) in helping others in their business.  He became President of the Sons of the American Revolution of the Lower Cape Fear Chapter in October, 1980.  On January 17, 1982 he was elected Elder Emeritus at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, but was too ill to attend the special service held in his honor.

His marriage to Catherine Cecelia Barber proved productive in many ways. They had four children, and at the time of his death, there were ten grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.  They first lived on Brookwood Avenue in Wilmington, then Greenville Sound, next, to Sixteenth Street and at the time of his death he was living with his wife, Catherine on Hawthorne Road in South Oleander.

Eulogy for Daniel Jasper Black by Archie McKee, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, NC