This memorial was written by Jack Mayfield’s friend, Charlie Litton.
The small office where Jack Mayfield churned out agreements and licensing contracts at near prolific rates is dark today.
Mayfield was felled by an apparent heart attack Tuesday. By Friday, the 63-year-old was gone.
Mayfield joined UNMC in 2012, working as a contracts specialist in the technology transfer office, UNeMed. Any researcher, student, staff or faculty who ever needed a quick contract drawn up to share materials or protect confidentiality, probably worked with him.
But to ask anyone who worked with him, few mention his chops as a lawyer. In fact his unequaled production rarely even rates a mention. More often we use words like “mentor” and “teacher” and “friend.” And of course we talk about his passions: Photography and cycling, pursuits he chased with vigor and vitality.
Jack was perhaps most visible as a regular fixture during UNeMed’s Innovation Week, relentlessly snapping photos of anyone and everyone who stood still long enough. Long before joining UNeMed, Jack ran a successful photography business in Tennessee, and he was always willing to lend his skills whenever asked.
But no part of Jack was larger than his enthusiasm for cycling. A member of an Omaha bike club, the Dundee Chain Gang, Jack logged somewhere on the order of 9,000 miles in 2013. For the record, if you wanted to drive from New York to L.A., you’d log about 2,700 miles. From Omaha, that 9,000 miles would get you to somewhere between India and Inner Mongolia.
After every long weekend of even longer rides-marathons, really-Jack would recount the exhausting trips with glee. And he had photos too. The new pictures of Jack and his rider-buddies-beaming under their bike helmets in all their spandex glory-would find a special place on his bulletin board. Some of the pictures are a little dog-eared and ever-so-slightly faded from the morning sun that creeps into his east-facing office.
His office is dark now, but those pictures are still there — taken in some far-off place where the hills were steep climbs, but the glide down to the finish must have been worth every exhausting pump and kick.
According to the Omaha World-Herald, visitation is today from 6 to 8 p.m. at Heafey-Heafey-Hoffmann-Dworak & Cutler, 7805 West Center Road. Funeral services will begin Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at Christ Lutheran Church in Louisville.
I am much saddened to hear of Jack's untimely death. I had worked with Jack ever since his arrival at UNMC on various MTA etc and that continued even after I left the institution. Jack is always helpful, friendly and highly efficient. He will be sorely missed. John Chan
I am so sad to hear about Jack….He was so very helpful with our MTAs. We really appreciated that, but its his cheerfulness that will definitely be missed most of all. True class.
My sincerest condolences to his family.
Tom Caffrey
This is very sad news. Jack was extremely helpful to me and my laboratory with our MTAs and other agreements. He was extremely efficient and professional, one of the best at UNMC. I never had the chance to meet him in person. My condolences to his family and co-workers.