Jack Carey Scholarship

Please download the Application & Guidelines for the Jack Carey Scholarship.
(Follow the link and choose File > Print or File > Download as)
Annual due dates for applications are 4/1, 7/1 and 11/1.

John Thomas (Jack) Carey was born on October 27, 1952 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He passed away on January 6, 2002, after an eight-month battle with cancer.

Jack was the President of AFSCME Local 3315 and was one of the original organizers of the Local in the mid 1980s.

The son of a firefighter and homemaker, Jack grew up in Cincinnati with his brother Dan and sister Peg. He graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1974. He then moved to Chicago to attend the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration, earning a Master of Arts in Social Work in 1976. Jack began working for TASC, and then enrolled at Loyola University School of Law. He clerked for the Cook County Public Defender’s Office (CCPD) while attending law school. He graduated in 1983 and was licensed that same year.

After working for a short period at the Lake County Public Defenders office, Jack was hired by the CCPD. He began his career in the office working in the Juvenile Division handling delinquency cases. He eventually moved to the felony trial division at 26th Street and California. In 1989, Jack joined the Homicide Task Force, where he tried numerous capital and non-capital homicide cases.

During his tenure on the Homicide Task Force he mentored many law students under Supreme Court Rule 711. Prior to his death, he was assigned to the CCPD’s Training Division where he helped develop workshops and seminars for assistants in the Office.

Jack was a devoted fan of major league baseball, and frequently treated his current and former law clerks, as well as former clients, to Sox or Cubs games.

Born with a funny bone, he was always ready to deliver a new joke, be it in court, in the office, or out with friends.

In the late 1990s while he was on the Homicide Task Force, Jack met fellow assistant public defender Alix Stevens. They exchanged their wedding vows in October 2000.

An avid traveler, Jack regularly attended the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Tennessee. His oversees trips included destinations such as Australia, Argentina, Brazil, India, Nepal, Peru, Poland, and Russia.

Jack is sorely missed by his friends, family, and brothers and sisters at the Cook County Public Defenders Association.