I would like to join the community in remembering the life of Jack Segal, a veteran and diplomat who left a mark on NMC and Traverse City that will not soon be forgotten.

Segal passed away on Feb. 3. In November 2025, I had the pleasure of interviewing him for an article that I wrote about a speech he gave to the NMC community on Veterans’ Day. Our conversation expanded well beyond that into his time serving in the Vietnam War, career in Washington, and his international ventures. It is not every day that you get to hear of a life so extraordinary from the person who lived it. 

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His journey started at age 19, when he was drafted into the army to serve in Vietnam. He told me about watching soldiers and friends die, and the times he nearly died. Segal spoke fondly of a roommate he had during training in Fort Banning, Georgia, named Larry Stefan. Stefan died soon after arriving in Vietnam. Segal showed me printed pictures of Stefan’s gravestone and name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

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“We were really brothers, ‘cause he didn’t know anything either,” Segal said.

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After serving two tours in Vietnam, he pursued a career in diplomacy. His accomplishments as a senior US diplomat included being the author of the US-USSR Agreement on Nuclear Risk Reduction and helping to negotiate the START nuclear treaty. The START treaty between the US and Russia expired on Feb. 5, two days after Segal’s death. Segal also traveled to places like Israel, Russia, and Botswana.

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Segal made his way to retirement in Traverse City after Doug Stanton, a nationally recognized journalist, talked him into it. 

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“We traveled together for six days in Afghanistan, and it was like a six day infomercial about Traverse City for me,” Segal told me, “It worked, he was a very convincing salesman.”

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Segal and his wife, Karen Puschel-Segal, are the former co-chairs of the International Affairs Forum, an NMC organization which brings international affairs experts to Traverse City. Segal also taught at NMC.

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My condolences to Karen. The hospitality and kindness that both Karen and Jack showed me will stick with me for a long time.