Barbara Jackson
was born in Texas and hold the BA degree from the University
of Texas, Austin. Between 1951
and 1957 she worked as a secretary in English,
Dramatic Art and Speech, then
in 1957 opened and owned and operated the
Knit Shop, a downtown Davis business,
through 1965.
Jackson has
taken an active role in civic and community activities throughout
her life. She was president of
the University Farm Circle in the1950s, charter
member of what is now Sutter
Davis Hospital Auxiliary, and organizer and
charter member of the Davis chapter
of Embroiders Guild of America.
In the arts
she is perhaps best known as costume designer and maker for
the Davis Comic Opera Company,
Davis Players, Davis High School, and
Sacramento Opera Company; her
designs for the DCOC production of
Die Fledermaus won the
1988 Elly Award. She is a charter member of Friends
of UCD Presents. Her long record
of community service was recognized by
the Davis Chamber of Commerce
with the 1993 Brinley Award.
Jackson is the widow
of W. Turrentine Jackson (1915-2000), distinguished
UCD professor of history. Barbara
and Turpie took a leadership role in philanthropic
support of historical study and
the arts at UCD, having established in short order
the W. Turrentine Jackson chair,
graduate fellowship, and undergraduate scholarship
in US History, and cornerstone
gifts to UCD Presents, the Center for the Arts,
and the UCD Symphony Endowment.
