Longtime supporters of Colorado Law, Judge Gary (’70) and Regina Jackson have committed to supporting the law school for future generations through a generous estate gift.
As a young man, Jackson never considered a career in law. He studied political science at the University of Colorado Boulder and planned to become an engineer. But when he met the parents of Sonny Flowers (’71), his best friend and roommate at CU, his future shifted.
“They were the first lawyers I had ever met—white, Black, or brown,” he says. “I was so impressed with the civil rights work Sonny’s father was doing in Arkansas that I applied to law school.”
The University of Colorado Law School accepted both Jackson and Flowers into the Class of 1970.
When they entered the program in 1967, all the law professors were men, and none were Black. “That motivated me, some 50-plus years later, to make a concerted effort to help diversify the law school with our scholarship gift,” Jackson said.
The Jacksons hope their gift will open doors for students of color who might otherwise struggle to afford a law school degree. The Gary and Regina Jackson Scholarship Fund at the law school continues the couple’s lifelong commitment to diversity and racial inclusion by providing scholarship awards for students who have demonstrated interest in equality, diversity, or social justice.
After a storied legal career spanning five decades, Jackson retired from his judgeship in the Criminal and General Session Divisions of Denver County Court in 2020 and was recently inducted into the Denver Public Library’s distinguished Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame. This award is bestowed upon a Coloradan who has been the first African American to accomplish a professional goal or to have been a pioneer in their field while actively supporting the African American community.
Retirement meant that the Jacksons would be living on a fixed income, which is why they were pleased to be able to establish their scholarship as a blended gift—a current gift and a planned gift set out in their estate plan. “We are adjusting to a fixed income, and the university makes this option available,” Jackson says.
A scholarship recipient himself, Jackson is passionate about motivating fellow alumni to support CU, especially those who are also celebrating their 50th reunion. “We have a responsibility to give back,” he says. “Let’s make positive changes together.”
*This story originally appeared on the University of Colorado Office of Gift Planning website.