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First Lieutenant Jack Ephraim Arch

A young man with dark hair wearing a jacket and tie, looking left.
  • Unit: U.S. Army Dental Corps
  • Date of Birth: February 26, 1929
  • Entered the Military: September 4, 1953
  • Date of Death: September 3, 1955
  • Hometown: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
  • Place of Death: Cumberland, Maryland
  • Cemetery: Col 1, Row A, Site 14. Rocky Gap Veterans Cemetery, Flintstone, Maryland
Contributed by Lilah, Violet, Mazzy Morel, Mary Thrush
Mentored by Mrs. Ali Schilpp
Northern Middle School
2024/2025

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. 

Jack Arch was a William Penn High School cheerleader, 1945. Ancestry Classroom.
Jack Arch’s draft registration card, February 26, 1947. National Archives and Records Administration.
Marriage license application for Jack Arch and Estelle Rosenburg, August 24, 1950. Ancestry.

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.

Road construction on Forster Street in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1952. Penn Live.
A view of Second Street in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, July 6, 1959. Penn Live.

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.

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.
Historic marker placed at the B’er Chayim (Well of Life) Congregation. Historical Marker Database.
Dr. Jack Arch was named “Young Man of the Year” by the Cumberland Junior Association of Commerce. Cumberland Evening Times, January 16, 1964.

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.

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

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 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.