Mid-Shore Lives: Memories and Life Lessons at 93 with Jack Noble

More than a few people have suggested that the Spy interview Talbot County native John (Jack) Noble, and after following up on those recommendations last week, we now understand why.

Now at the age of 93, Jack has developed a considerable fan base on the Mid-Shore for his kind wit and his storytelling ability, but also for the remarkable fact that in his 9th decade, he has learned quite a few things about life and love.

Jack, the product of Caroline County public schools, the McDonogh School, Princeton, and Harvard Law School, was well-positioned to join a number of prestigious law firms in New York City or Washington, D.C., after his Cambridge years. But after serving in the Korean War, Noble agreed to come back to run the family Ford dealership in Easton instead. And as he notes in his Spy interview from a few weeks ago, he has never looked back with regret.

Jack Noble was one of a handful of Eastern Shore natives who, despite the best education that America could offer in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, decided that the best thing they could do for themselves and their families was to come home rather than endure a suburban lifestyle.

For Noble, it has all worked out. While he found that running a car dealership wasn't particularly his cup of tea after 15 years, that led to a much more rewarding financial services career with Baker Watts, T.C. Williams, and eventually, Legg-Mason before starting his own firm.

But more importantly, Jack and his wife, Pemmy,  found an agreeable lifestyle for themselves and their daughters that he believes is just one of the special ingredients that have kept both of them so active for so long. 

In the Spy's ongoing efforts to record Eastern Shore lives, we sat down with Jack to talk about his Eastern Shore memories, as well as his strategies to keep engaged through woodworking, biking, and reading to reach his goal of a celebratory lunch with a grandson when he turns 100.