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2024
No. R-234. House concurrent resolution in memory of jazz aficionado Reuben Jackson.
(H.C.R.175)
Offered by: Representatives Krasnow of South Burlington, Cina of Burlington,
Mulvaney-Stanak of Burlington, Andrews of Westford, Arsenault of Williston, Berbeco of
Winooski, Black of Essex, Burrows of West Windsor, Carpenter of Hyde Park, Chesnut-
Tangerman of Middletown Springs, Christie of Hartford, Dodge of Essex, Farlice-Rubio of Barnet, Garofano of Essex, Headrick of Burlington, Hyman of South Burlington,
LaMont of Morristown, Leavitt of Grand Isle, Logan of Burlington, McGill of Bridport,
Minier of South Burlington, Mulvaney-Stanak of Burlington, Ode of Burlington, Patt of
Worcester, Small of Winooski, Stevens of Waterbury, Stone of Burlington, Troiano of
Stannard, and Waters Evans of Charlotte Whereas, Reuben Jackson’s contributions to the annals of jazz were noteworthy, and Whereas, Reuben Jackson was born in Georgia, spent his youth in the nation’s capital,
and, in 1975, arrived in Vermont to attend Goddard College, and Whereas, in addition to studying writing at Goddard, Reuben Jackson inaugurated his broadcasting career working as a DJ at WGDR, the college’s radio station, and discovering
a love for the radio medium, and Whereas, for two decades, Reuben Jackson was honored to work as the curator for the Duke Ellington Collection at the Smithsonian Institution, and Whereas, his erudite jazz criticism appeared on the airwaves of National Public Radio;
in the pages of the Washington Post, JazzTimes, and DownBeat; and on the All About Jazz website, and Whereas, years later, Reuben Jackson returned to Vermont to teach English at
Burlington High School, and, in 2012, he was reunited with his passion for radio, hosting Vermont Public (the former Vermont Public Radio)’s Friday Night Jazz program for six years (2012–2018), and recordings from the series are now in the collection of the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, and Whereas, Reuben Jackson’s mentoring at the Young Writers Project reflected both his deep passion for the written word and his life as a respected published poet, and Whereas, much of his poetry focused on the challenges of the Black American experience, and his most recent volume, Scattered Clouds, was issued in 2019, and Whereas, most recently, Reuben Jackson, who died on February 16, 2024 at 67 years of
age and is survived by his partner, Jenae Michelle, had worked as a jazz archivist at the University of the District of Columbia and served as a radio host at WPFW-FM in Washington, DC, now therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
That the General Assembly expresses its sincere condolences to the family of Reuben Jackson, and be it further VT LEG #375741 v.1
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Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this resolution to
Jenae Michelle, Vermont Public, WPFW Radio, and the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives at
the University of the District of Columbia.
VT LEG #375741 v.1