Dear Jackson Foundation Community,
With a heavy heart, we share that Peter Jackson, our long-time friend and colleague, passed away this weekend after a truly heroic battle with cancer.
An amazing individual, Peter’s strong dedication to the issues he cared about, as well as his phenomenal attitude in the face of illness, have inspired us all.
A gifted writer, especially on environmental issues (he received the Dolly Connelly Excellence in Professional Environmental Journalism), Peter recently backed an editorial about the Jackson Foundation’s work, drawing attention to the global security threats from climate change. The Herald published it last week. This piece had followed a Seattle Times Op-Ed that Peter drafted on behalf of the Foundation about the importance of the National Environmental Policy Act.
Peter believed in standing up for human rights and against environmental injustices; he wanted the voices of the powerless to be elevated. In keeping with those beliefs, he served on the Advisory Board of the University of Washington Center for Human Rights, an entity he helped create through an act of the Washington State Legislature in 2009. He also served as a board member of the North Cascades Institute and HistoryLink.org, all Jackson Foundation partner organizations.
Over the past few years, in addition to his role on the Foundation’s Board, Peter became an important resource to our Fellows’ program, speaking to each cohort at the beginning of the year about his father’s accomplishments. He also mentored several Fellows who were interested in the Senator’s legacy and served as a role model himself. At the Foundation, we will particularly miss Peter’s self-effacing manner, his gentle wit, his finesse with language, and the warm appreciation and gratitude he expressed toward others.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. We look forward to a time when we can gather together to remember and celebrate this remarkable person. The Jackson Foundation has been lucky to have Peter Jackson as our champion. We will miss him.
– Jackson Foundation Staff
Katy, Maura, Carol, and Gretchen