Year Inducted: 1996
As the first housemother of Grace Pearson Scholarship Hall, Marietta K. Jackson left an indelible print on the University of Kansas. Born February 18, 1903 in Newton, Kansas, Ms. Jackson moved to Lawrence after the death of her husband and accepted the position of housemother for Foster Scholarship Hall in the spring of 1960. In 1967 Ms. Jackson then assumed leadership of the newly completed Grace Pearson Scholarship Hall where she served until 1972. T.L. Childers II, a resident of Foster Hall under "Mother Jackson", recalls, "The true value which Mother Jackson brought to Foster Hall was not the grace, charm, wit, and delight she brought to all who knew her. Instead, the real worth of Mother Jackson was in her role of educator. While not possessed of great formal scholastic credentials, she did possess a wealth of knowledge which she shared with all of us who had the pleasure of knowing her. She taught us that love and affection should not be limited to only family, but can be extended to many with whom one comes in contact. Mother Jackson taught us more about how life should be lived than most of us ever learned in Ethics or Philosophy classes."
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The University of Kansas Medical Center