Dr. Joseph A. Jackson, former professor and dean of libraries at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Chattanooga civic leader, died Thursday Sept. 15, 2011.
He was preceded in death by three sisters, Bessie J. Kent, Bertha J. Brooks and Alice J. Bolton; and one brother, C. C. Jackson Jr. of Brewton.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Barrows Jackson and several nieces and nephews. He was a native of Brewton, Ala., and the son of the late Christopher C. and Ora Hart Jackson. He was a graduate of the Flomaton High School Class of 1951 before attending Samford University, George Peabody College, and later received his doctorate from Vanderbilt University.
Dr. Jackson joined the faculty and administration of UTC in 1973 and retired in 1994. Prior to moving to Chattanooga, he served as head of the science library, and dean at the Graduate School of Library Sciences at the University of Alabama.
In 2010, Dr. Jackson and his wife Mary B. Jackson were honored as Chattanooga’s Outstanding Philanthropists. He was a Scottish Rite Mason, served in the US Army, and was buried in the National Cemetery at Chattanooga, Tenn. He was a world traveler and author of several books.