John R. Webb, retired prison counselor and former history teacher, has died at 78
He was a track and basketball star at Vineland High School in the 1960s and used his natural empathy and compassion to help incarcerated men for more than three decades.
John R. Webb, 78, of Vineland, retired counselor, hearing officer, and supervisor at Southwoods State Prison, former teacher, church trustee, and high school sports star, died Sunday, Oct. 1, of end-stage renal failure at Inspira Medical Center in Vineland.
A lifelong people person who championed second chances, personal redemption, commitment, and hard work, Mr. Webb retired in 2011 after counseling inmates for 34 years in the minimum-security unit and elsewhere at the New Jersey state prison in Bridgeton. At Southwoods, he monitored and mentored hundreds of incarcerated men as they made their way through the facility’s rehabilitation and reintegration programs.
He was an adjudicator at inmate disciplinary hearings, helped men adjust to institutionalized living, and addressed their social, economic, and emotional problems. He graduated from Glassboro State College, now Rowan University, in 1968 and taught history in the Vineland School District for six years before joining the New Jersey Department of Corrections.
He was a state champion in the quarter mile at Vineland High School, varsity basketball player at Glassboro State, and trustee in later years at Mount Pisgah Methodist Church in Vineland. “He was a kind, sweet man,” said his daughter, Jennifer Webb-McRae. ”He had a passion for helping people.”
Mr. Webb was affable and social, and he and his longtime buddies found their way to as many South Jersey high school track meets as they could over the years. He made headlines in Vineland’s Daily Journal newspaper in 1964 for anchoring a winning high school mile relay team at the Penn Relays, and family members knew to never schedule an event on the last Saturday in April, when the Relays are held at Franklin Field. He never missed one.
Known as Johnny in high school, he set middle-distance track records, was a leading scorer and rebounder on the Vineland basketball team, and his name and photo appeared often in the Daily Journal sports pages. At 6-foot-3 in high school, Mr. Webb was a force on the basketball court, and a Daily Journal reporter wrote in a 1963 article that he “showed flashes of rebounding brilliance.”
Another Daily Journal article about basketball in 1963 said Mr. Webb “jumps with the best of them and is learning to handle himself with finesse under the basket.” The newspaper described his anchor leg in the mile relay at the 1964 Penn Relays as “so swift — it brought a roar of delight from the 20,000 fans on hand for the noon race — that he quickly left all of the competition behind.”
He played for Armellini’s Express in the Vineland City Adult Basketball League in 1969, and the Daily Journal reported that he “added 15 points and a bushel of rebounds” in a dramatic comeback championship game victory over the Dalesandro Truckers. Later, he officiated high school basketball games and became so good at pool that he competed in local tournaments.
“He was a great member of the VHS class of 1964,” a friend said in an online tribute. Another friend said: “We are so sorry to lose such a great gentleman, and a great, gentle man.”
John Robert Webb was born May 21, 1945, in Vineland and named after two uncles. He played football as well as track and basketball in high school, and served as a student adviser to administrators in middle school and copresident of the student council in high school.
He earned a bachelor’s degree at Glassboro in social studies and English, and was president of the school’s track club, secretary of the Lettermen’s Club, and member of the Social Studies Exchange.
He met Gayle George in high school, and she liked his smile and energy. They married in 1969, and had daughter Jennifer and son Michael.
Mr. Webb studied history closely, particularly of the Civil War, and was known to educate even the most knowledgeable guides at Gettysburg National Military Park. He was an avid photographer, and he and his wife traveled often.
He enjoying taking his grandchildren to all kinds of events and made sure to check in on nearby relatives almost daily. He was featured in a 2013 article in The Inquirer about security measures at the Penn Relays and recognized in 2022 at Vineland’s Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration for his community activism.
“He was an amazing father,” his daughter said. “He was witty and so kind.”
In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Webb is survived by three grandchildren, a sister, and other relatives.
Visitation with the family is to be from 11 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Oct. 21, at Mount Pisgah Methodist Church, 315 Plum St., Vineland, N.J. 08360. A memorial service is to follow.
Donations in his name may be made to the American Kidney Fund, 11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300, Rockville, Md. 20852.