[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 145 (Friday, October 24, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2073-E2074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     TRIBUTE TO DR. ROBERT JACKSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 23, 1997

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recall the life of Dr. 
Robert Jackson of Toledo, OH, a rare and outstanding citizen, a man of 
letters. In special tribute to his life and work, he will be remembered 
in a memorial service in Toledo on September 6, 1997. Our dear friend, 
Bob, died to this life on July 30, 1997 at age 88.
  Bob Jackson was a generous and gifted human being, a genuine brother 
to us all, a confidante, a soulmate. He relished being a trusted 
political advisor to many including myself. He understood that 
community involvement requires commitment. Perhaps it was this sense of 
civic responsibility which prompted him--at age 85--to be the precinct 
captain for his neighborhood and work hard to get out the vote. He 
loved politics and he loved being a Democrat. He pondered the endless 
possibilities presented to each of us as Americans. He mused always 
with piercing humor about our body politics, its greatness and its 
foibles.
  A voracious reader and devoted educator, Bob Jackson was elected to 
the Toledo Board of Education and had retired from the mathematics 
department of the University of Toledo. An Arkansas native, Bob 
graduated from the University of Oregon, was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford 
University, and earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard 
University. A complicated man with a boundless sense of humor, he also 
was a retired naval officer along with being a proud member of the 
ACLU. While his education and social position could have taken him to 
elite surroundings, he used his considerable talent to teach youth at 
Scott High School in Toledo.
  Bob and his wife, Agnes, together pursued commitments to causes dear 
to their hearts, especially to help those whose voices in the public 
weal were weak. They advocated on behalf of family planning initiatives 
for which they labored in order that mothers and fathers and children 
would have a better chance at successful family life, childhood, and 
adulthood. Even after Agnes' passing, Bob carried on their work. In 
poignant tribute to his wife, Bob created a living testament to her 
while at the same time dedicating himself to their mutual love of 
nature and of neighborhood: he created the Agnes Reynolds Jackson 
Arboretum, a truly splendid yet tranquil garden setting adjacent to 
what was their home in an area of grand old homes in the central city. 
The arboretum is a place to find true beauty and peace, and now stands 
as a most fitting memorial to both Agnes and Bob, their love for each 
other and their lives of service.

[[Page E2074]]

  When his friends and family gather to memorialize Bob Jackson--and 
remember Agnes as well--we will do so in that arboretum. As we share 
stories and remembrances, together we will recall and enjoy the 
legacies left by two who lived spirited lives dedicated to others. How 
we will miss him as we miss her and know we are privileged to have 
considered them friends.

                          ____________________