Hello Professor Jackson  / Bose George (Advisee)

Professor Jackson was the second faculty member I met at Stanford six years ago when I first arrived as a graduate student in African History.  My first day in the department, I was sent up to the third floor to introduce myself to he who would serve as my secondary advisor.  I remember walking through the maze of third floor hallways and finally coming upon a door that opened onto what can variously be described as a library, a gallery or a treasure chest- some kind of monument to love for black people and humanity.  In this room, a thin, grizzled man with long legs and thoughtful grey eyes sat waiting.  How cool, how certain, how elegant he looked to me with his gold silk tie against a purple button down shirt and a black cashmere sweater.  Wow!  So academia wouldn't suck the life out of me- alright, good to know!  I don't remember what we talked about that day.  I was young, raw, and probably very uninteresting.  I had no idea what being a sholar/educator was about or how to engage with someone as committed to his life work as Professor Jackson was.  I was just trying to understand how I got to academia, and now that I was there, what my function was.  Professor Jackson's functions were to teach about history and humanity and to infect students with his love of studying the Black world.  His multiple teaching awards demonstrate that he served these functions masterfully.  Even outside of the classroom, he continued to teach students.  He taught me to address him as Professor out of respect for the history of the Black scholar in the contemporary world.  He taught me that old approaches can never yield new ideas.  He taught me that students can be powerful educators.  He taught me that being scholarly is not antithetical to being stylish.  He taught me to remain engaged with the world beyond academia because it is a dangerous myth that scholars are "only talking to themselves."  He taught me that teaching is not just another hustle.  It is enlivened and life-giving when it takes over your whole being.  Professor Jackson's love for his students, his discipline, and his community kept him alive years after many others would have given in.  His stubborness might have helped to.  I am thankful for that stubborness and for everything that permitted me to know him for as long as I did.  
"There will never be another.  He was my brother." - P.R.

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Kennell had a huge impact on undergraduates & AAAS at Stanford; was dearly loved, will be greatly missed  / John R. Rickford (Faculty colleague )
It was impossible to stand in Kennell's hospital room over the past week (often, it was standing-room only), reading the dozens and dozens of notes and cards from well-wishers that adorned his wall, and NOT be struck by the tremendous impact that this full professor of History and the longest-serving Resident Fellow at Stanford (25 years in Branner plus more before that at Serra) has had at Stanford. The notes confirmed what his 1972 Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel award for service to undergraduate education and his 1990 Cox Medal for fostering undergraduate research had already recognized--that through his classes, his dorm programs, his innovative Undergraduate Scholars Program and his countless encouraging conversations with individuals, he had helped students to become excited about ideas and the creation of new knowledge, and he had helped them find their niches in the world of academia. What the notes revealed that the awards did not, however, was that he did all these things and more in ways that built loyalty, educed respect, and elicited love. Those emotions and qualities wafted from the walls and were visible in the faces of the many who visited and revisited Kennell as he went from witty conversation or earnest discussion to the increasingly deep sleep and labored breathing that marked his passing. In the end, Kennell had, as someone put it, a "good death," one in relation to which he was as fully prepared and fearless as any of us could ever hope to be, and one which taught us valuable lessons for our own lives.
I will have more to say in my remarks at his memorial service in January, but I do want to add, as someone who has just stepped down as Director of African and African American Studies [AAAS] at Stanford, that his contributions to this undergraduate program were very rich and varied. He became Director of AAAS in 1980, the same year I joined Stanford as an Assistant Professor, and his skilful and creative leadership of the program impressed me no end. In the Black faculty gatherings that he hosted in bldg. 30, the program's academic home, I had the opportunity to present my own research and first came to appreciate how widely-read and knowledgeable Kennell was. He served longer (for nine years) than any other AAAS director before or since, and his impact on the program was immeasurable, through his rigorous restructuring of the curriculum, his establishment of the AAAS105 "Introduction to African and African American Studies" core course, and his creation of the Undergraduate Studies Program. He also created the model for the university's observance of Martin Luther King's Birthday. More than ten years after he stepped down as Director, he served AAAS once again, teaching the preparatory course for the AAAS Learning Expedition to Ghana in 2000 in addition to his full courseload in History. He accompanied the group of fifty plus students, staff and faculty who went to Ghana over Spring Break, and enriched, through his insights, much of what we saw and heard there.
Some may say that, in his early sixties, Professor Jackson died prematurely. But my wife Angela and I feel otherwise--grateful, like the students and colleagues and well wishers whose spirits filled his hospital room, for the opportunity to have known and learned from him in the many years his life touched ours. Rest in peace, brotherman. Nuff respect. Close

What He Taught Me  / Julie Lythcott-Haims (Former RA, friend )
Kennell was the most constant adult presence in my life during my undergraduate career because I lived with him for three of those four years. Like a parent he prodded, and nudged and, yes, scolded when necessary. I will never forget what he taught me about people and institutions, and I will be forever grateful for the ways in which he helped me grow. Close

Cheers Kennell  / Luanne Hernandez (RA in Branner for 2 years )

Kennell was the reason I wanted to become an RA in Branner and why being an RA in Branner was such a memorable experience.  The first day I saw him at some RF introduction, he was cracking jokes and making the crowd laugh.  I still vividly remember our interviews during which we talked about everything from the Civil Rights Movement to dance.   He worked so hard to make Branner a place of intellectual discourse, but also a place where students could have fun and enjoy themselves as students.  Words cannot even begin to explain all he did for the students of Branner.  For me, he helped me find my niche at Stanford and I will never be able to thank him enough for giving me the opportunity to work with him over the last couple of years.

 

He taught me so much about life and people during those Monday night meetings.  I always looked forward to having the chance to spend time listening to his stories every Monday night and just to have the chance to spend time with him.  He created such a wonderful atmosphere every time.  He still manages to make his way into my thoughts and conversations and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Cheers to you Kennell.  People like you are hard to find. 

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Kennell A. Jackson, Sagacious Chronicler of African and African American Culture, Past and Present  / Ewart Thomas (Colleague at Stanford )
I came to know so much more about Kennell during his last stay at the Stanford Hospital than during the previous years – the lucid and independent thinker, the witty raconteur, and the keen student of race relations in the USA. This deepening of friendship, it seems, has only increased my sadness at his passing. He was a towering figure in undergraduate life at Stanford – through Branner Presents!, the colorful and exciting lecture series he created, through his Undergraduate Scholars Program, the first university program to systematically link freshmen to the research programs of professors, and through his seminars on a variety of cultural topics, such as “Black Hair.” He was also a leader in the community of Black Faculty and Staff, regularly summoning us together to discuss the issues of the day over food and drink, and recording our existence in a series of now precious photographs. I feel fortunate to have had, as a model I could emulate, his visionary and caring ways over the last three decades, and his dignified and courageous leave-taking over the last three weeks. At a personal level, my family will always be grateful to him for welcoming our dear Tolu to Branner Hall as a freshman in 1998 and then as an RA in 2000. Sleep well, my Brother! Close

A Southern Welcome in California  / JT Batson (Student)
Very few people have impacted my educational experience like Kennell Jackson. I never had him for a class and never studied formally with him. The hours upon hours of endless conversations with Kennell in the Branner Dining Hall or in the lounge help me feel at home in Branner and at Stanford. Kennell's stories of growing up in Farmville, Virginia as well as his story of first registering to vote in California after being denied in Virginia will always stick with me. His support in my efforts and father-like pride in my future accomplishments have meant so much to me. His devotion to his passions and interests as well as to his students and Branner were beyond impressive. We will miss him. Close

Making the Most of Branner  / Tolu Thomas (Branner RA 2000-02 )
Having worked with Kennell for two years on his RA staff, I came to know him as a man devoted to creating a rewarding experience for all who lived in Branner. He cared so much about the freshmen, about the staff and about Branner as an institution. Even though Branner had a reputation of wild fun, I loved the fact that he never underestimated the intellect and creativity of Stanford students. He worked hard to maintain a strong academic and artistic presence in the dorm, and life in Branner was much richer for that. Thank you Kennell, for always fighting for what you knew was best for all of us. Close