Joao Hugo Eduardo de Sequeira, popularly known as Dr. Jack de Sequeira was born in Burma (now Myanmar) on 20 April 1915, to Mr.Erasmo de Sequeira and Mrs. Ana Julia de Sa e Sequeira. Dr Jack de Sequeira was the youngest of three siblings. Consequent to Jacks sister, Edna Bai being diagnosed with meningitis, Mr Erasmo de Sequeira gave up his prestigious position as Collector with the British Civil Service in Rangoon and returned home to Goa to start his business, Agencia e Sequeira.
Jack was a bright student. Completing his basic studies in Portuguese at the Altinho Lyceum he graduated in medicine from Escola Medico Cirurgica De Goa .He secured a gold medal in microbiology. As he was preparing to specialize, his father passed away forcing him to give up medicine to run the family business ,, Agencia E Sequeira, which had become a prominent trading house of the time in Goa.
As a young man, sports came naturally to him and along with his brother Dr. Frank, he played a good game of tennis. He married early at 23 to Lilia Goveia A Pinto. The couple had nine children, three boys and six girls of whom 5 are still living.The Family lived in CAMPAL where the Patriarch Erasmo had acquired 7 beautiful bungalows.
Dr. Jack de Sequeira always maintained that there was no success without failure and it was important to accept what came ones way with a positive attitude. He was a committed Catholic with special devotion for Goa's patron Saint Francis Xavier but broad minded enough to accept People of all faiths, including three non-Christian son-in-laws.
He was in Portugal when Goa was liberated in 1961.The Portuguese considered him to be sympathetic to India and he was under surveillance by the Portuguese Secret Police (PIDE) in Lisbon. On being tipped off that he might be arrested Dr. Jack fled overnight to Paris and boarded a Flight to Bombay. He arrived in Bombay on the 23rd of December 1961 with only the clothes he was wearing.
