Jeffrey Jackson

1956 - 2016

Jeffrey Joseph Jackson

Jackson

Jeffrey Joseph Jackson, age 59, Owen Cooper Professor of Law at Mississippi College School of Law, died at home on April 26, 2016, following a long illness.

Professor Jackson was born on May 2, 1956, in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, attended Greene County Public Schools and was graduated from The Choate School, Haverford College, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He worked at the Rose Padden and Petty law firm in Fairmont, West Virginia, before beginning a teaching career at Mississippi College School of Law in 1987. He was the Justice Tom C. Clark Supreme Court Fellow in 1992 and continued work at the Administrative Office of United States Courts as a Senior Research Analyst, assisting with the first Long Range Plan for the Federal Courts before returning to Mississippi College in 1993.

He was a legendary teacher at Mississippi College, receiving numerous teaching awards and accolades. Stories of Jeff Jackson abound and were passed down from class to class for generations of law students. His encyclopedic knowledge of the law and quick wit sharpened legal practice for multitudes of students and colleagues who had the good fortune to encounter him. He wrote, co-wrote, or edited and updated numerous treatises on Mississippi law, including Mississippi Rules Annotated, Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, Mississippi Insurance Law and Practice, Mississippi Civil Procedure, and Ethics and Professional Responsibility for Mississippi Lawyers and Judges, as well as multiple law review articles. He was a sought-after consultant, speaker and adviser. He was admitted to practice in the West Virginia and Pennsylvania bars.

He was the son of the late Russell Thomas Jackson and Julia Popp Jackson of Carmichaels, Pennsylvania. He is survived by his wife, Melinda Mullins Jackson, and his two daughters, Roxann Elizabeth Jackson of Missoula, Montana, and Eleanor Davis Jackson of Charlottesville, Virginia, whom he loved with the same intensity, energy, enthusiasm, and irreverence that he brought to the rest of his life. He also is survived by his brothers, R. Thomas and wife, Robin, of Skaneatlas, New York, Terence J. of Carmichaels, Pennsylvania, and Dr. Timothy K. Jackson and wife, Becky, of Morgantown, West Virginia, as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.

He had many special friends that he considered honorary family, including the "Brain Trust" (Pat Bennett, Mary Miller, and Donald Campbell), Judge Tom Broome and his wife Paula, Jean Vaughan and Dr. Ashley Vaughan, and Ricardo Cicconi and his wife Denise. His dachshund nurse, Daphne, was a faithful caregiver during his illness. Dr. Bobby Graham and Dr. Sharon Martin were stalwart and trusted supporters throughout his illness.

Visitation will be held on Friday, April 29, 2016 at First Baptist Church of Jackson from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 30, 2016 at First Baptist Church of Jackson at 11:00 am, with visitation preceding starting at 10:00 am. Interment will follow at Parkway Memorial Cemetery in Ridgeland, MS.

Pallbearers for Professor Jackson will be Eric Hatten, Brad Clanton, Ronald Morton, Donald Campbell, Justin Matheny, and Claude Brown.

The Professor Jeffrey Jackson Scholarships Fund has been established at Mississippi College School of Law as a tribute to Professor Jackson's teaching career. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his honor to The Professor Jeffrey Jackson Scholarships Fund at Mississippi College School of Law, 151 East Griffith Street, Jackson, MS 39201 or online at http://lawalumni.mc.edu/JacksonScholarshipsFund