Arthur Gregg Jackson

JACKSON

ARTHUR GREGG, died of heart failure June 10th at Waverly Heights in Gladwyne. He was 85 years old. Born in Philadelphia in 1921, Gregg was the only child of an immigrant window washer who built upon his father's success to go to Yale and then to Harvard Law School. His parents Arthur Jackson and Anna Gregg lived in Germantown where Gregg attended German-town Friends School. In tenth grade he fell in love with schoolmate Dorothy Hollis; they married in 1944 and remained together for over 60 years until Dorothy's death in 2004. Gregg served in the armed forces during World War II and the Korean War where he helped translate the Japanese and Chinese codes. He and Dorothy raised their four daughters in Merion, PA. Gregg served as President of the Merion Civic Association, on the Boards of Friends Central School and Haverford College and received a commemorative gavel from the Merion Home and School Association in recognition of his years of leadership. For many years he was a partner at the Philadelphia law firm Montgomery, McCracken, Walker and Rhoads. Later he served as Vice President and General Counsel for SPS Technologies in Jenkintown. Throughout his professional career Gregg was respected for his outstanding legal work, his outspoken support of fairness and equality, and his commitment to mentoring younger lawyers. In his retirement he spent time at the family's summer home on the Sassafras River in Maryland, volunteered at Reading for the Blind, and studied French. A devoted and generous father, Gregg was well known for his regular attendance at all of his children's school and college activities. During their high school athletic competitions, he was famous for standing on the sidelines calling out support for every player by name. Gregg loved the ocean and taught his daughters the joy of body-surfing. He also enjoyed sailing, reading and discussing ideas. Shaped by the depression, his war experience, and his Quaker education, Gregg's life reflected a commitment to simplicity, a love of learning, and a strong sense of duty. He was a member of Haverford Friends' Meeting. Gregg is survived by three daughters: Laura Jackson, Nancy Marchand (Vincent), and Sarah Leonard (Jeffrey). He was predeceased by his eldest daughter, Gail, and is survived by her husband, John Farmer Jr. Gregg is also survived and beloved by his four grand-children, Michael and Rebecca Leonard, and Virginie and Christophe Marchand. Contributions in memory of Gregg Jackson may be made to The Joslin Clinic in Boston, Massachusetts in support of research into the management and cure of juvenile diabetes, the illness that shortened his daughter Gail's life.