About Dennis Jackson
Marvin Dennis Jackson was born on June 30, 1945, in Jackson, Mississippi, to Roy Dennis and Margie Emma (Cade) Jackson.
A top math student in high school, he switched his interests to literature at Belhaven College under the guidance of his favorite professor, Bill Durrett, eventually earning master’s and doctoral degrees in English from the University of Arkansas.
From 1979-1986, he served as secretary, treasurer and president of the D.H. Lawrence Society of North America, where he received the Harry T. Moore Distinguished Scholar Award for Lifetime Achievement in D.H. Lawrence Studies. He also served as Jeopardy!’s resident expert on the English novelist.
Dr. Jackson’s awards included the National Teaching Award from the Poynter Institute and an award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing and Editing from the Modern Media Institute and American Society of Newspaper Editors.
He spent decades working to convey the significance of Charles Sumner Stone Jr., with two bedrooms, four closets and 17 file cabinets full of documents on the Tuskegee Airman, inaugural president of the National Association of Black Journalists (of which Dr. Jackson became a member), journalist and late UD professor.
Friend and alumnus Paul Davies, co-author of the unfinished biography, called Dr. Jackson “a true academic, always chasing one more file or detail.”
After retiring, he married artist Anne Whitney and moved to Vero Beach, Florida, where they lived with their beloved pets, Tigger, the Pomeranian dog, and cats Popcorn, Maggie and Ekaterina (named after the Russian ice skater; known as Katie, for short).
“He missed Delaware, missed his friends and missed the seasons,” said longtime friend and former assistant to the chair of the English department Linda Russell, who would often sit with a notebook and pen to keep track of Dr. Jackson’s many stories — including his brief stint as an Arkansas circuit minister.
She can still picture his tattoo, a phoenix on his bicep, a reminder of the many illnesses he overcame: chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, pulmonary fibrosis, open-heart surgery.
His final hours were spent in hospice, in a beautiful room with a private garden, screened-in porch and French doors that opened to bushes filled with butterflies and chirping birds.
Though his last words are unknown, friends and alumni may like to imagine they were among his most used: “Okay, I’ll let you go. I just have to tell you one more thing.”
Tributes in Dr. Jackson’s memory can be made by searching for the journalism program and noting his name in the special instruction box.
A celebration of Dr. Jackson’s life will be held on his birthday, June 30, at 12 p.m. in Memorial Hall, with a less formal gathering off campus to follow. More details will be shared on The Review alumni Facebook page or by contacting Devin Harner at dharner@jjay.cuny.edu.
Article by Artika Casini
Photos courtesy of Linda Russell
June 04, 2024