Jess Jackson and Sonoma Country Day School

Last Thursday, SCDS lost a longtime friend. We had the privilege of educating Jess Jackson’s three children—Katie ’00, Julia ’02, and Chris ’03—and his granddaughter Hailey Hartford ’03 and grandson MacLean ’11, who will graduate in June. We feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a part of Jess’s life, as he was a remarkable man whose passion, talents, and creativity will have a lasting impact on our school community. We offer our sincere condolences to the Jackson family for their great loss.

 

Jess was an early supporter of our school. He and his wife Barbara Banke were important volunteers and donors on behalf of the campaign to build our own school. The Jackson Theater was named to acknowledge their generosity to SCDS, and he will be fondly remembered by our families and the many members of the Sonoma County community who have attended and will continue to attend public performances in the theater for years to come.

 

Today, the theater will be used by the Jackson family for a private memorial service for employees of Jackson Family Wines. The Grand Gallery will be closed after school so that organizers may prepare for that gathering. If you are on campus at that time, please respect their privacy and do not pass through the Grand Gallery. The public memorial service will be Thursday, May 12 at 11:00 a.m. at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts.