Macdonald-Kelce Library Blog

Outta Sight! UTampa's Groovy Duo, Jack and Sally Jenkins

Who knew UTampa could claim such a groovy duo as Jack and Sally Jenkins. It was these two UTampa alums who put some "swing" in the "swinging sixties."  Music majors Jack Jenkins ('61) and Sally Wallace ('60) were married in 1960. After both graduated, they embarked on a singing and performing career that took them across the country and the globe. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, they performed with the Guy Lombardo Orchestra as well as with their own trio, appearing on some of the most renowned stages and in the most celebrated venues of the era. It was with the Lombardo Orchestra that Jack and Sally performed on the Ed Sullivan show to sing "Moon River." In addition to other notable venues, they performed regularly at the Fountain Blue Hotel in Miami, and debuted at The Frontier in Las Vegas in 1967. Working tirelessly, they were lauded by critics and audiences alike.

In 1989, after raising three children, Jack and Sally moved to St. Simons Island, GA where Jack became entertainment director at The Cloister Hotel. Here they produced many cabaret shows and Jack sang regularly as “Billy Bingo” while conducting a bingo game throughout which he would intersperse song. This bingo game and Jack's performances in it were so popular that eventually guests had to book tickets in advance for the game in the hotel’s grand ballroom. Jack remained in his role of “Billy Bingo” until his retirement in 2015 at the age of 80. Tragically, Sally was killed in an auto accident in 2006. Jack passed peacefully in March 2023.  

On April 27, 2010, Jack Jenkins received the University of Tampa Music Department Alumnus of the Year Award at the Falk Theater, where he was a featured soloist with the University of Tampa Chorus and sang a duet with his daughter Letitia.  

Though we might be hard-pressed to find a duo singing the American Songbook at UTampa today, the spirit of excellence that Jack and Sally embodied in their performances still lives on at the University of Tampa. Check out some of the exciting things happening in our department of music and what students are doing in musical theater.  

You can follow the Jack & Sally Jenkins Facebook Page for images and other information and/or you can also find numerous videos of them on YouTube. In addition, feel free to stop by the Macdonald-Kelce Library's Special Collections and Archives to find images and more information on the duo or peruse our many digital collections where the two are mentioned.