ABOUT JOHN JACKSON

John Jackson was born in Alamosa, Colorado. His dad, while living in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, was a bronco buster, taming wild horses. His family soon moved to Idaho to farmstead. His dad, a World War II vet, drew the land in one of the largest, most historically significant and widely remembered WWII veteran homestead lotteries in the nation.
 
He grew up not far from one of the Japanese Internment Camps, learning to appreciate minorities. The Mini-Cassia area was home to a fair sampling of migrant farm workers, so he learned to appreciate them also. As a youth, he was a nimble-footed playground running back, but too small for high school ball. As a youth, he was perhaps the best player on the Minico High Chess team. He would play his teammates blindfolded and beat them. 

John served in the Florida South Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and attended Ricks College and Brigham Young University, studying journalism and serving as the sports editor at both schools.

John worked for newspapers in Cedar City, St. George, and Provo early in his career. When he moved to California, he worked on a paper in Santa Clarita. Twice he attempted to start newspapers on his own, running the West Valley Advocate one summer in between semesters at BYU, and starting and running the Castaic Light in California just after working on the Santa Clarita newspaper.

Another summer between semesters, he worked in the Evanston oil fields. He ended up working at the Evanston newspaper that summer. And in yet another summer, he worked at the newspaper in Price, Utah.

His time with the Castaic Light intersected the Rodney King riots, with a number of the police involved in the attack living in the Castaic area. Once again, he learned to consider and appreciate minorities.

Being concerned about pollution in the Los Angeles area and wanting to move to Utah, he moved back, taking various jobs, including working as a security officer. He eventually ended up working in the office at C.R. England, one of the nation’s largest trucking companies. He remained there until he retired in 2021.

In a community service opportunity provided by C.R. England, he monitored an after-school food program to ensure against fraud. — Interesting that he did, because Minneapolis failed to monitor such programs, leading, in part, to all that has gone on in Minneapolis.

His older brother suffered from mental challenges and John ended up taking him in and caring for him until the time of his death. John considered those years the best of his life and the death of his brother has continued to haunt him ever since. 

After retirement, he returned to playing chess, only to find the competition much greater, and himself a subpar player. Also, he no longer could play blindfolded and found himself in awe of those who could.

He became director of a chess program for youth in Kearns.

He became a poet and has now written about 2,900 poems and published more than a dozen books.

He believes in saving the environment, having solar panels on his roof and driving a small electric, a Fiat 500e.

His church work has included serving as a high counselor and serving in the Mingo Branch at the Sandy Rehabilitation Center.