Fresno State’s national and state flags will be posted at half-staff on Friday, Feb. 15, for Donald A. Jackson, who was instrumental in establishing the Maddy Institute in 1999 with a mission to elevate citizen participation and government performance at all levels through leadership education for public service. Mr. Jackson died on Dec. 21 at the age of 82, and memorial service was held on Feb. 1.

The Maddy Institute was funded by a $1 million endowment from the state and named to honor Kenneth L. Maddy, a Fresno State graduate and respected public servant who represented the Valley in the state Legislature for nearly three decades. Mr. Jackson was the first chair of the Maddy Institute Board of Directors from 2000 until 2010. He was also a founding board member of the Gazarian Real Estate Center at the Craig School of Business.

Mr. Jackson had a long history of community service, including his work as the co-founder of the Central California Women’s Conference and he was a leader in building Fresno’s premier amphitheater, the Rotary Amphitheater at Woodward Park. Mr. Jackson, a tax attorney, graduated from the University of Arizona and Stanford Law School. On Jan. 8, U.S. Rep. Jim Costa honored Mr. Jackson during a session of Congress. That tribute was read into the Congressional Record.