Jack van der Geest (September 17, 1923  – March 5, 2009) was one of only seven[1] people to escape from Buchenwald concentration camp.

Jacobus Petrus Cornelis van der Geest, known as "Jack", was born at Teijlerstraat 58 in The Hague, Netherlands.

Van der Geest's father was president of Lensveld Nikola, a bread factory in The Hague.

Van der Geest was also a close friend of a Jewish family in The Hague, the Cohens, who owned a clothing store there.

In September 1942, the Gestapo raided the van der Geest apartment in the Hague (Soestdijksekade 43 - 3rd floor).

Van der Geest's mother, Anna (née de Groot in 1894) was sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp in September 1942, where she was held for three and a half months before being released.

He lay there for 11 hours, and then, weighing about 80 pounds (36 kg), killed an SS Guard, put on his uniform and rode a truck out of camp.

[2] March 3, 2009, was Jack van der Geest Day in Rapid City and the State of South Dakota in celebration of the 66th anniversary of his escape.

After his death, the South Dakota State Senate issued a resolution honoring Jack van der Geest.