From the ship deck to the lecture hall

GREEN BAY – At 95 years old, Harold “Jack” Day sits in his Green Bay home, reflecting on a life that has taken him across the world — from the deck of a Navy aircraft carrier to university lecture halls in over 40 countries.

His journey is one of service, learning, and love, shaped by the experiences of war, education and a marriage that spanned 65 years.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Jack turned 17 at the close of World War II.
Like many young men of his generation, he was drawn to the military.

“There were lots of sailors in Milwaukee, especially on weekends,” he recalled with a chuckle. “I thought if I was a sailor, the girls would like me better.”

At 17, he was eager to enlist, but his mother feared for his life and refused to sign the papers.

His father, however, gave his blessing, and Jack joined the Navy with a promise that he could study electronics.

He entered an elite training program at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, where recruits were tested every two weeks.

“If you passed, you went on for another two weeks,” Jack explained. “I kept passing.”

Out of 400 recruits, only 100 remained at the end, and Jack ranked 30th.

His orders sent him to the USS Philippines, one of the last WWII aircraft carriers with propeller-driven planes, bound for the Mediterranean.
His mission was not one of combat but of diplomacy.

Under President Truman’s direction, Jack’s fleet played a role in the geopolitical maneuvering that led to the creation of Israel.

While stationed in Europe and North Africa, Jack encountered the unfortunate realities of post-war devastation.

“We’d go ashore to play baseball, and because so many men were killed in the war, we only saw women and children watching from the edge of the field,” he said. “We later learned the reason they were there is because they wanted some of our food.”

The experience left an impression, sparking his lifelong curiosity about the world beyond America’s borders.

After his service, Jack turned his attention to education, seizing the opportunities afforded to veterans under the GI Bill.

He initially enrolled at the University of Milwaukee but quickly transferred to UW-Madison, where he studied civil engineering and applied mathematics.

It was there, in November 1951, that his life changed forever.

A blind date led him to Jan, the woman who would become his wife.

They courted, traveled to meet each other’s families, and soon realized they never wanted to be apart.

By 1953, they were married, beginning a partnership that would last for more than six decades.

Jack’s career in engineering took him across the globe, where he lectured, collaborated with universities and immersed himself in different cultures.
His passion for water management, particularly surface water, made Green Bay — a city nestled along the Fox River — a perfect home.

Day joined the UW-Green Bay faculty in 1970 as the “Environmental Controls” chair, and through his career, his research focused on water resources.
After retirement in 1994, he worked on projects for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

Today, Jack lives alone, but Jan’s presence lingers.

“I talk to her every morning while I have my coffee,” he shared, holding back tears. “I feel her love spirit often. It’s a mystical life experience I can’t explain.”
From a young Navy recruit to a world-traveling professor, Harold “Jack” Day has lived a life filled with purpose, curiosity, and love.

And even now, he continues to cherish the lessons it has given him.