Please click here to view a student eulogy for Arch at the Rocky Gap Veterans Cemetery in 2025: https://youtu.be/IqdxnS8HYa8.



Biography

Early Life
Jack Ephraim Arch was born to Abraham Arch and Lena Yoffee Arch Barson on February 26, 1929, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He had a brother named Edward and a sister named Bernice. His father, Abe, was a cleaner and dryer, and his mother worked as a homemaker. 

Arch graduated from William Penn High School in Harrisburg, where he was a cheerleader. 

He then pursued both a Bachelor of Science degree and a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Pittsburgh. At the age of 21, while still a dentistry student, Arch married Estelle Rosenburg, who was 19. He graduated in 1953 with both a BS and a DDS degree, which allowed to assume this important duty for the military.

Homefront
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in the 1950s, was an urban city with a vibrant but changing economic and social landscape. It faced the challenges of suburbanization, economic decline, and the impacts of federal policies on their neighborhoods. 

After World War II, Harrisburg experienced a peak in population, but it was short-lived. The city's population began to decline in the early 1950s with the increase of suburbanization.

The Korean War did not directly cause this population decline, but it was part of a larger economic and social context. The war did, however, contribute to ongoing economic changes, including continued industrial decline and the shift toward a service-oriented economy.

Military Experience
Arch enlisted in the U.S. Army on September 4, 1953, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and served in the U.S. Army Dental Corps. During the Korean War, 2,641 officers served in the Dental Corps, with 370 serving in Korea. During the war, two Army dental officers were killed, and one was declared dead while missing in action. 

Arch served honorably until his discharge on September 3, 1955. Dr. Arch then attended graduate courses in New York and Pittsburgh to complete the requirements for oral surgery.

Veteran Experience
Jack and Estelle Arch divorced, and Estelle moved to New Jersey. He remarried, first to Linda Augusta Brown. They were married from 1975 to 1985. His obituary notes that he was survived by his wife, Valeria Arch.

After his service, Dr. Jack Arch interned in oral surgery at New York Hospital and Montefiore Hospital in Pittsburgh. Upon completing his residency and studies, he established his practice in dentistry and oral surgery in Cumberland, Maryland, and became a well-known active community member. 

He was a member of the American Dental Association and a leader for several community organizations. He was president of Friends Aware and an active member of the Jaycees. Arch was a member of the B’er Chayim Temple Board of Directors and the Jewish Welfare Board of Western Maryland. 

He donated many creative glassworks to charities for fundraising events. 

His unwavering commitment to his patients and the community was recognized in 1964 when Dr. Arch received the Distinguished Service Award of the Cumberland Junior Association of Commerce. 

Dr. Arch had an impressive run in the dental field, with over 50 successful years in dentistry until his retirement in 2008.

Commemoration
Jack Ephraim Arch died on November 23, 2019. He rests at Rocky Gap Veterans Cemetery in Flintstone, Maryland. 

A scholarship at Frostburg State University in Maryland was established in memory of Dr. Arch to be given to a student majoring in Environmental Studies.

Bibliography
Primary Sources

Abe L. Arch. Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1971. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

“Dr. Jack E. Arch.” Scarpelli Funeral Home. Accessed October 10, 2024. https://www.scarpellifh.com/obituaries/Dr-Jack-Ephriam-Arch?obId=9156382.

Jack E. Arch. Pennsylvania, U.S., Marriages, 1852-1968. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Jack Ephraim Arch. Virginia, U.S., Divorce Records, 1918-2014. Digital images. https://www.ancestryclassroom.com.

Jack Ephraim Arch. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Digital images. https://www.ancestryclassroom.com.

Jewish Welfare Board. Photograph. Cumberland Evening Times [Cumberland, MD], September 16, 1963. Newspapers.com (18464753).             

Pennsylvania. Dauphin County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images.  https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Pennsylvania. Dauphin County. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital images.  https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Pennsylvania. Allegheny County. 1950 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://www.ancestryclassroom.com/.

Preview of Winter in Midtown Cumberland. Photograph. Cumberland Sunday Times [Cumberland, MD], November 26, 1950. Newspapers.com (1522451).

University of Pittsburgh Yearbook. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1953. Digital Images. https://ancestryclasroom.com.

William Penn High School Yearbook. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1945. Digital Images. https://ancestryclasroom.com.

Secondary Sources

“Dr. Jack Ephriam Arch.” Find a Grave. Updated November 29, 2019. Accessed December 3, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/205099055/jack-ephriam-arch. 

“Estelle Arch.” Find a Grave. Updated August 8, 2022. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/242459704/estelle-arch. 

Hardison, Lizzy. “My City Was Gone: How redlining helped segregate, blight Harrisburg.” The Burg, August 31, 2018. https://theburgnews.com/around-the-burg/my-city-was-gone-how-redlining-helped-segregate-blight-harrisburg. 

“Jack Ephriam Arch.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed March 6, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/JACKEPHRIAMARCH/9859e7. 

King, John E. , Samuel A. Passo, and Nolan A. Watson, eds. Highlights in the History of U.S. Army Dentistry. Office of U.S. Surgeon General, 2012.

“Vintage photos of Harrisburg from 1950 to 1959.” Penn Live, August 2, 2016. https://www.pennlive.com/life/2016/08/harrisburg_from_1950_to_1959_v.html.

This profile was researched by Lilah, Violet, Mazzy Morel, Mary Thrush, mentored by Northern Middle School teacher Mrs. Ali Schilpp, as part of a Veterans Legacy Grant Program led by National History Day in the 2024/2025 academic year.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.


Marriage license application for Jack Arch and Estelle Rosenburg, August 24, 1950. Ancestry.

Marriage license of Jack Arch and Estelle Rosenberg.

Dr. Jack Arch was named “Young Man of the Year” by the Cumberland Junior Association of Commerce. Cumberland Evening Times, January 16, 1964.

Newspaper article titled, "Dr. Jack Arch Named Young Man of the Year."

Jack Arch was a William Penn High School cheerleader, 1945. Ancestry Classroom.

Seven teenagers served as cheerleaders at William Penn High School with megaphones.

Jack Arch in his college yearbook. Ancestry Classroom.

A young man with dark hair wearing a jacket and tie, looking left.

Dr. Jack Arch served as a member of the Western Maryland Jewish Welfare Board. Arch is seated in the front row, center. Cumberland Evening Times, September 16, 1963.

Photograph of five men and one woman who served on the Jewish Welfare Board.

Historic marker placed at the B’er Chayim (Well of Life) Congregation. Historical Marker Database.

Historical marker at the Ber Chayim (Well of Life) Congregation

Dr. Jack Ephriam Arch as a Veteran. Find a Grave.

Dr. Jack Arch’s niche at the columbarium at Rocky Gap Veterans Cemetery in Flintstone, Maryland, April 1, 2025.

Jack Arch's niche at Rocky Gap Veterans Cemetery, with a photograph and mementos.

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