[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 8, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E14]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING THE LIFE OF DON JACKSON

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 8, 2019

  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to 
the life of Don Jackson, a lifelong philanthropist highly invested in 
improving the Central Valley, who passed away on December 21, 2018, at 
the age of 82.
  Mr. Jackson was born in 1936 in Chicago, Illinois and raised in 
Tucson, Arizona. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of 
Arizona and later went on to study law at Stanford University. Upon 
completion of his studies, he was admitted to the California State Bar 
in 1962.
  Shortly thereafter, Mr. Jackson started his own tax law and estate 
planning practice, which would become one of the largest and most 
successful firms in Fresno. Along with his legal expertise, Don was 
also heavily active in the political sphere, working on both the Reagan 
and Bush presidential campaigns, in addition to numerous other 
California campaigns. In 1998, Governor Pete Wilson appointed Mr. 
Jackson to the California Public Employee Relations Board. As a devoted 
Rotarian and a passionate philanthropist, Mr. Jackson served on several 
boards, including the Gazarian Real Estate Center Advisory Board at 
Fresno State, the Saint Agnes Medical Center Foundation Board, the 
Dominican Hospital Foundation Board in Santa Cruz, and co-founding the 
Central Valley Women's Conference.
  In addition to these laudable accomplishments, the legacy for which 
he will be best remembered is his instrumental role in the founding of 
the Senator Kenneth L. Maddy Institute at California State University, 
Fresno; which works to inspire and engage a new generation of 
government leaders in addition to providing non-partisan policy 
analysis to resolve the issues facing the region, the state, and the 
nation. For much of their adult lives, Senator Maddy and Mr. Jackson 
were close friends as well as law partners. In honor of Senator Maddy's 
legacy, Mr. Jackson chaired the Board from 1999 to 2009, for the first 
10 years since the Institute's inception, and until this past year, he 
served the Maddy Institute as CFO and Treasurer.
  During his tenure as Chair, Mr. Jackson established vital programs 
such as the Maddy Legislative Intern Program, the Maddy Associates 
Program, the Maddy Report, and the Maddy Daily e-newsletter. He 
provided scholarships for over 150 federal and state legislative 
interns, founding the Don Jackson Public Finance Intern Scholarship 
Program, and raising over $1 million in grants, events, and programs 
for the Institute. He was an exceptional strategist, who will be 
forever remembered by those he touched for his high standard of 
excellence, his mentorship, and his commitment to making the Valley a 
better place.
  Mr. Jackson is survived by his brother and sister, his 6 children, 
and 8 grandchildren for whom he has always shown dedication and 
affection. It is my honor to stand with Mr. Don Jackson's family in 
celebration of the life of this inspirational man.
  Madam Speaker, it is with profound respect that I ask my colleagues 
to join me in recognizing the life, remarkable career, and achievements 
of Mr. Don Jackson. His legacy and dedication to our beautiful Valley 
will be remembered for years to come.

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