Jack E. Hunter Jr., CPA, civic activist

JACK E. HUNTER Jr. had a way of taking the sting out of the annual ritual of income-tax preparation.

Ask Brad Guigar, Daily News graphic artist and cartoonist.

"The only tax preparation I was familiar with was dread," Brad said. "I would start dreading around January, and I would dread dutifully throughout February and most of March."

What could even a guy as expert and compassionate as Jack Hunter do with this kind of anxiety?

"I would panic and assemble my papers, receipts and sundry notes and head for Jack's office for our annual meeting," Brad went on.

An hour later, life returned to normal. "I would leave with a genuine smile on my face," Brad said.

'Geez, it was nice to see Jack again,' I would think. 'I should do this more often.'

"I'm not sure there's a word for the ability that Jack had to erase months of dread in a one-hour session. But I'm pretty sure it's not covered in the CPA exam."

Jack Hunter, a certified public accountant, retired partner in the firm of Howe, Keller and Hunter, an adviser to the city on tax reform, a retired Marine, and a man who loved living in Philadelphia so much that he and his wife restored a derelict residence on South Street, died Aug. 13 of emphysema. He was 71 and lived in Center City.

Jack was considered an "expert's expert" on state and local taxes. Long active in the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, of which he was past president of the local chapter, he was the group's representative to the advisory committee of the Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission. He was also a member of the Mayor's Select Committee for Tax Reform.

He was active in the Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting of Friends and served many terms on the board of directors of Friends Select School, often acting as treasurer.

Jack was a regular volunteer for Historic Fair Hill, a 300-year-old Quaker burial ground in the 2900 block of Germantown Avenue in North Philadelphia. It had been a stop on the Underground Railroad for escaped slaves and is on the National Register of Historic Places and visited by tourists.

He and his wife, the former Mary Anne Knight, were involved in the founding of Greene Towne School, a Montessori school at 21st and Arch streets, and the Middle Years Alternative School for the Humanities, 49th and Chestnut streets.

Jack was born in Canandaigua, N.Y., and grew up in Clifton Springs, N.Y., where he graduated high school. He served two years in the Marine Corps before coming to Philadelphia to attend the University of Pennsylvania. He was a graduate of the Wharton School, and was a member of Psi Upsilon Fraternity.

It was at Penn that he met his future wife. They were married in 1958.

Their love of Philadelphia led them to become "urban pioneers," restoring the home on South Street near 23rd for their residence. They were active in the Center City Residents Association.

His wife described Jack as "warm and generous" with a host of friends. "He was noted for his ready expressions of appreciation for the accomplishments of others.

"He enjoyed life and loved being with people, particularly his grandchildren," she said. "Even after becoming ill, he loved going out to dinner or on excursions with his friends and family."

Tony Junker, a longtime friend through the Society of Friends and a fellow member of the Friends Select board, said Jack "had a way of digging in and working to get things done. He was faithful in everything he did. He wasn't afraid to ask the hard questions, a wonderful trait."

Junker, a retired architect who is now a novelist, said Jack loved coffee - American coffee. Once while in Italy, he was unable to find the coffee he liked.

"He hated those little cups of espresso they serve there," Tony said. "So, we found an expresso pot and tried to use it to brew up a cup of American coffee for him. And the thing blew up."

Tony and Jack were among those involved in founding the Friends Center City Retirement Community.

"Jack was always pushing us to get it done," Tony said. "He wanted to live there. Even when he knew he didn't have much time left, Jack never complained. He felt the way to deal with it was to keep going."

Jack was an early supporter of Michael Nutter for mayor, going back many years. Even when restricted to a wheelchair and on oxygen, he managed to get to Nutter fund-raisers before the primary election in May, when Nutter won the Democratic nomination for mayor.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, Ross, a state legislator in Washington state; a daughter, Anne; two sisters, Elsa Lopusniak and Marion Knepper; and three grandchildren.

Services: Memorial service 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at the Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, 1515 Cherry St.

Donations may be made to Friends Select School, 17th Street and the Parkway, Philadelphia PA 19103. *