Jack Rowley Lichte, Jr. was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on September 8, 1942 . He was born to Jack Rowley Lichte, Sr. (December 6, 1914 – August 25, 1961) and Anita Lichte Kleban (April 12, 1915 – September 17, 2010).
Jack Rowley Lichte, Sr. was born in Michigan on December 6, 1914 to Charles E. Lichte and Ethel E. Lichte. Interestingly, on their 1920 census records, their last name is spelled “Lickte.” On the 1920 US Census, Jack Rowley, Sr. was recorded as living in Allen, Indiana. In his childhood, Scott W Hitson, a bookkeeper stayed at his home as a lodger . Jack, Sr. had one brother, Martin E. Lichte, who was born in 1920 . Jack Rowley Lichte, Sr. was an officer in the Air Force. Mississippi State University’s 1954 yearbook shows J.R. Lichte as a major in its Air Force ROTC program, indicating that he had moved to Starkville by then and had taken up a job at MSU . At the time of retirement, he had achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel . He passed away in August 1961 and was buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Starkville, MS .
As indicated in his war records, Jack Rowley Lichte, Jr. was married.
Yearbook records from 1961-1964 indicate that Lichte was enrolled at Mississippi State University for those four years. His completion of four years in college indicate that Lichte likely completed a bachelor’s degree at MSU. At MSU, Lichte was a member of several fraternities: Pi Kappa Alpha, Alpha Kappa Psi (business fraternity), and Alpha Phi Omega (letter service fraternity) . In addition, he was involved in the Maroon Guard, a branch of the Army ROTC program at MSU. In his yearbook, his major is listed under the initialism “LA,” However, since he was commissioned in the Army the following year, it is unlikely that Lichte continued his education after his undergraduate degree.