NATIONAL CROQUET MUSEUM

John (known as Jack) McMillin was born in 1921 in New York, NY and passed away in 1992 in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1984, he married his wife, Barbara, and they have one daughter, Wallis. Jack had two children by a previous marriage, Enid and John III. Mr. McMillin attended The Choate School and then Dartmouth College. He was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, serving in the Pacific Theatre in World War II. He was a self-employed businessman.

Instrumental in the founding of the Croquet Foundation of America (along with Ellery McClatchy, Libby Newell, Xandra Kayden, and Buzz Lalone), Jack McMillin became CFA’s first president. He had spent countless hours, both on the phone and in meetings, to get this accomplished. He, along with Ellery McClatchy, Cortie Wood, Ned Prentis and others, donated the funds to start the Foundation.

In 1984, he and Barbara moved from Vero Beach (where there was no croquet) to Palm Beach so he could be more involved with day-to-day croquet. The McMillin’s belonged to the Palm Beach Croquet Club, the Beach Club, and Palm Beach Polo and Country Club. During the summer of 1983, as President of CFA, Jack traveled with Barbara for three months some 13,000 miles around the United States, visiting more than thirty croquet clubs, meeting and socializing with croquet players. Some of the prominent people visited were Betty and Archie Burchfield (Stamping Ground, KY); Merlin Karlock (Bourbonnais, IL); Kayla and Ned Skinner (Seattle, WA); Tom and Jane Lufkin (Santa Rosa, CA); Maurice and Melanie Marsac, and Cesare Danova (Beverly Hills, CA); Jim Bast, Jerry Stark, and Stan Patmor (Arizona Croquet Club, Phoenix, AZ); Ellery McClatchy (Carmel, NY); and Lee and Cortie Wood (Westhampton Mallet Club). On this promotional trip, they also visited clubs in Nashville, TN, Louisville, KY, San Francisco, CA, Pinehurst, NC, and the New York Croquet Club.

Jack was always generous to croquet guests and visitors, and often hosted parties for local and visiting teams, including those from South Africa, New Zealand, Britain, Australia, and Ireland. Noted players including international star Nigel Aspinall of England, the Burchfields, Tom and Ilsa Barlow, and Ian and Betty Gillespie from South Africa were also welcomed at the McMillin’s home. Jack was delighted to be a part of the world of croquet, and it was his main preoccupation for many years. Starting the Croquet Foundation of America was one of his proudest achievements.

In recognition of all his contributions to the croquet world, the Croquet Foundation of America is pleased to welcome Jack Milton McMillin, Jr. into its Hall of Fame in 2012.