Albert Franklin Jackson

Albert Franklin Jackson Born January 22, 1931 in Columbus, Ohio Died September 28, 2013 in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota The bare facts hardly do justice to the life of this extraordinary man, but it would take an entire newspaper just to begin to tell his story. Parents: Walter Ira Jackson and Margaret Alberta Cain Jackson. Two siblings: His brother, Walter Ira Jackson Jr. (deceased), and his sister, Lois Garren Jackson Gabrych. First wife: Lena Susan Coward Jackson, to whom he was married until her passing. Three daughters: Kay Susan Jackson Larch, Kelly Margaret Jackson Moore, and Amy Francis Jackson Murray. Nine grandsons and several great-grandchildren. United States Air Force veteran 1951-1953. Graduated from Ohio State University in 1957, education major. Public school teacher, public school administrator, college professor 1957 until retirement in 1998. Co-founder of Westminster Community Theater, Orange County, California. Member of Lions Club International for years. President of the Westminster Club. College Outstanding Service Award at Cal State Long Beach. Married Charlotte Louise Littler Hanson in 1992. Step-children: David John Hanson, Dwight John Hanson, and Vonda Lee Hanson Jacobson. Four step-grandchildren. Albert grew up in Columbus, Ohio. He served his country with honor in the United States Air Force, stationed in Germany. He graduated from Ohio State University, then moved to southern California and started his career as a public school teacher. He later became a public school administrator, and then for thirty years a college professor, first at California State University - Long Beach, and then at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California. He loved music and enjoyed playing the piano from the time of his first lesson at age five until his recent death. He also loved photography and taught it in college. His photographs were shown in nationally distributed magazines, and in a series of children's books he co-authored with his long time friend, Dr. Gene Tardy. He loved to travel and led groups of photographers on tours across Europe, China, and the huge wild animal parks of East Africa. He circled the globe photographing in approximately fifty foreign countries, collecting many unique hats and stories along the way. "Bucky" loved getting involved in good joke-telling sessions. In his later years, he also enjoyed woodworking and writing stories about the history of Arizona for the amusement of fellow retirees. And he never stopped pursuing intellectual challenges, investigating new interests and constantly seeking to master difficult mathematics related to astronomy, the cosmos, and the theory of relativity. Early on, he developed a list of one hundred special items he would like to accomplish during his lifetime. Some were easy, others quite difficult. He managed to check off seventy-three of them. Albert leaves behind many loved ones and friends who are nothing short of blessed to have known him. He will be greatly missed. May he rest in peace. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Wounded Warrior Project .(www.warriorproject.org or 4899 Belfort Road Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256)