Jack J. Blanco, former dean of the Southern Adventist University School of Religion and professor emeritus, and author of The Clear Word Bible paraphrase, passed peacefully to his rest on Sabbath, January 11, 2025. He was 95.

After a fruitful career in pastoral ministry, mission service, teaching, academic administration, and editorial work at the Review and Herald Publishing Association, Blanco was called to Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee, in 1982. Having been part of the university family for 18 years, he retired in 2000 and continued teaching as an adjunct professor until 2010 when caring for his wife Marion, who passed away in 2012, indicated he relinquished teaching.

“Dr. Blanco was a deeply beloved professor who took a personal interest in his students,” said Michael Campbell, director of Archives, Statistics, and Research for the North American Division. “His classes were both interesting and engaging, but one would never forget his contagious smile and winsome way of encouraging others. His classes were a highlight of my college experience. He constantly challenged others to grow closer to Jesus.”

Educational and Professional Career

Blanco graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Union College, now Union Adventist University, in Lincoln, Nebraska. He continued his studies, graduating with an M.A. and M.Div. from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in Berrien Springs, Michigan; an M.Th. from Princeton Theological Seminary; and a Th.D. from the University of South Africa.

During his career, before joining the faculty at Southern, Blanco served as pastoral assistant, pastor, and evangelistic coordinator, working in the Potomac, New Jersey, Georgia-Cumberland, and Southeastern California conferences. He also chaired the theology departments at Solusi College, now Solusi University, in Zimbabwe; the graduate program at Philippine Union College, now Adventist University of the Philippines; and taught theology at Columbia Union College, now Washington Adventist University, in Maryland, United States, where he also served as academic dean.

Early Years: From Bible Readings to the Clear Word

Blanco was born in Chicago in 1929. He never met his father, who abandoned his bride-to-be upon finding out that she was pregnant with his child, leaving her in the middle of the night with no goodbye message and no forwarding address.

Raised Catholic, when Blanco was nine, his mother surprised him with tickets to go visit her parents in Germany. Blanco stayed with his grandparents for a year. According to a Southern Adventist University Columns article, World War II broke out right before he was to sail home, and travel became difficult. Blanco enrolled in school in Germany and, for a time, was able to conceal his nationality from the government. After the U.S. joined the war in 1941, however, he had to disclose his origins and was consequently sent to a labor camp as an enemy of the Third Reich.

In 1945, Blanco escaped the labor camp during the American invasion and returned to his grandparents’ house weighing only 80 pounds. Repatriated to the U.S., the malnourished 16-year-old was mistaken for a 12-year-old. After experiencing the atrocities of the war, Blanco left the faith of his youth behind.

At 20, Blanco was drafted into the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. Witnessing the poor values among his peers, Blanco wondered whom he could model his life after. A voice prompted him to consider Jesus: “He was true, honest, kind, and compassionate—everything you want to be!” This led Blanco to a base library, where he found Bible Readings for the Home Circle, mislabeled simply as “Bible.” While stationed in Guam, he was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church, immersing himself in writings by Ellen G. White. Blanco later became a pastor, serving in the U.S., the Philippines, and in several countries in Africa.

In 1983, Blanco joined Southern as a professor and dean. In 1984, he began paraphrasing the New Testament during his devotions to deepen his connection with God. Starting with Mark, he worked prayerfully for three years, producing a paraphrase of all 27 books. Friends and family encouraged him to continue, and seven years later, he completed the Old Testament.

The resulting The Clear Word, published in 1994, has touched countless lives. Reflecting on its impact, Blanco said, “When people thank me for what The Clear Word has done for them, I always tell them to give the glory to God. That is my goal in life.”

In Memoriam

Blanco’s son, Steve Blanco Ross, a physician in Nashville, passed away in 2009. (Steve is survived by his wife, Kelly Ross-Wilkenson, and his daughter, Chelsea Ross.) His wife, Marion, preceded him in death in 2012. Blanco is survived by his daughter Cheri Blanco Jones and her husband, Geoff; his grandson Derek Jones and his wife Andrea; and his three great-grandchildren, Connor, Emily, and Hailey.

A memorial service will be held at the Southern Adventist University Church this spring, with further details to be announced.

Information for this article provided by Southern Adventist University Marketing and University Relations; and the Spring 2014 Southern Adventist University Columns magazine article “Life of Devotion,” by Angela Baerg.

The original article was published on the North American Division website.