Blacks@Dartmouth 1775 to 1960

Jerome Ray Jackson from East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, entered Dartmouth’s Class of 1960 as the sole Black student. Well-liked and respected on campus, he graduated with a degree in psychology. He enlisted in Officer Training School and served in the Air Force as a lieutenant in the 15th Fighter Squadron in Arizona. He then entered a career in business with Gulf Oil in Pittsburgh, Rockwell International in Los Angeles, and TRW in Cleveland.

He was active in GOP political circles and was considered a candidate for Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before he died after a fatal encounter with law enforcement in 1982. He was survived by his wife, Vernice Etta Jackson (née Simms), and five children. He was fondly remembered by those who knew him well.