A remarkable life: It's not just the 100-year milestone -- it's what John Stackhouse did with that century

Few people can boast of having led a life as remarkable as that of John Woods Stackhouse.

Stackhouse, who turned 100 years old on Christmas Day, is not only the founder of one of the most successful companies in Wayne County history but also was instrumental in the founding of the North Carolina Burn Center in Chapel Hill.

His company, Stackhouse Inc., was one of the premier electrical companies on the East Coast. Founded in 1945, after Stackhouse got out of the Navy, it secured many of the biggest electrical contracts in the region and built a reputation as second to none in the field of power line construction.

Stackhouse, a natural engineer, learned his trade in the Navy Seabees, helping build landing strips and related infrastructure in the South Pacific as the United States marched toward Japan and the end of World War II.

A member of "the greatest generation" in American history, he parlayed his abilities into great success. But it was his interest in helping others that stood him apart. All his life, he witnessed men getting severely burned by electrical equipment and he vowed to do something about it.

That something was the Burn Center, now nationally known for its advancements in treating burn victims.

Wayne County is proud to call Stackhouse one of its own.

Published in Editorials on December 26, 2015 11:43 PM