Donald Charles Jackman

1953 - 2023

Donald Charles Jackman
January 15, 1953 - January 14, 2023
State College, Pennsylvania - Donald Charles Jackman died at his home in State College on January 14, one day short of 69. He was born in London, England, the second of three sons of Australian parents, Lloyd Miles Jackman and Marie Sandow Jackman. In 1962 the family moved to Melbourne, Australia, where he embraced the Australian passion for sports, taking on both tennis and cricket. In 1967, after their final move-this time to State College-he played with the Penn State Cricket Club against the English, Indian, Pakistani, West Indian, and South African players from neighboring universities.
Music was an integral part of Don's life. As a teenager, he entered a contest sponsored by the State College Music Academy in composition-and won. He continued composing throughout his life. Recently, he worked with his brother, Richard, on recording some of his music for classical guitar. It can be heard on YouTube.
After high school came a time of profound discouragement for Don, but when he finally entered Penn State's History Department, he became a committed medievalist. He completed an M.A. in medieval studies, then went on to Columbia University where he received his Ph.D. The year-long fellowship that followed at the Max-Planck Institute for European Legal History in Frankfurt am Main, Germany resulted in his book, The Konradiner: A Study in Genealogical Methodology, published by Vittorio Kostermann. It was the beginning of a life of controversy in his field. He wrote untiringly on the importance of heredity in the ruling houses of Europe. Nothing checked him but the need to gather facts and sources, the odd trip to Europe to lecture, and a visit to his welcoming relatives in Australia.
Later he relaxed his uncompromising stance to do an M.A. in applied linguistics at Penn State, where he spent several years as a tutor and linguistic supervisor. But he returned to the Middle Ages with an emphasis now on prosopography. He made his own work, as well as the work, both fiction and factual, of other authors, available at his online publishing company, Editions Enlaplage.
For the last 11 years, he devoted much time to his aged parents, who live in Foxdale. He served them meals from his collection of gourmet recipes and kept their minds sharp with conversation about language and politics, football, wrestling, and tennis. His closest friends knew him to be humorous, witty, able to produce an original charming turn of phrase without any effort. He was dearly loved by his parents, his two brothers, Richard and Andrew, his niece, Whitney, and a crowd of friends.
In lieu of a funeral service, his family will gather to scatter his ashes. To honor his meticulous historical research, a way will be found to keep his publications available online. Memorial contributions may be made to the State College Food Bank.