Class of 1967
Lee
Jackson emerged from the class of 1967 to a position of leadership in Dallas
and has served its citizens with honesty and intergrity througout his political
career. That will not surprise any of us who graduated from Kimball. He exemplifies
the very motto of Kimball, “Optima Petimus, We Seek the Best”. Lee carried that
motto with him as he sought the best for Dallas County. In school, Lee was a member of the National
Honor Society, Student Council, Corona Eximia. A Jamais, Concert Choir and Current
Events Club. He had time to serve as
a cheerleader and with the Red Cross. On top of all of his accomplishments,
he received a Letter of Commendation from the prestigious National Merit.
Lee is a classmate that all alumni at Kimball can be proud of and to
emulate.
Lee Jackson has
served since 1987 as Dallas County Judge, the County's chief elected official.
Lee Jackson has
led the Commissioners Court through two successful bond elections, improving
roads and county buildings while retaining the County's triple A bond rating
and keeping the lowest property tax rate among all the large Texas Counties.
Judge Jackson
has been a leader in transportation and in 1990 he led the formation of the
Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition, an organization of cities and counties formed
to help the Dallas area get its fair share of transportation funding and oversee
major transportation projects. Judge Jackson is an officer of the Texas Conference
of Urban Counties and a member of the Regional Transportation Council and the
Partners in Mobility Executive Board.
Judge Jackson
proposed in 1991 that Dallas County acquire the Dallas North Tollway from the
State of Texas and in 1997 led the legislative effort that established the North
Texas Tollway Authority which represents four counties and operates and develops
all toll projects in north Texas.
As Chairman of
the Dallas County Juvenile Board, Lee Jackson has led efforts to improve juvenile
justice services. He guided the creation of the Alternative Education Program
for youth expelled from the 15 school districts within Dallas County and a new
Charter School for youth in Dallas County facilities. Under his leadership,
the Juvenile Department has developed early intervention programs for truants
and their families and is expanding the Youth Village residential program for
serious offenders.
Judge Jackson
led the successful efforts to complete the Sixth Floor Museum which has become
the premiere visitor attraction in downtown Dallas. In 1991, Judge Jackson completed
the first successful consolidation in Texas of city and county job training
programs and now supervises WorkSource for Dallas County, the state/federal
job training organization that operates welfare-to-work, child care, and employment
services.
Lee Jackson represented
Dallas County in the Texas House of Representatives from 1976 - 1986 where he
was a sponsor of major legislation, member of the Public Education and Ways
and Means committees, and chairman of the Business and Commerce Committee. He
was named one of the Ten Best Legislators in Austin by several publications
and was named by D Magazine as the Best Public Official in Dallas for
1996.
He began his
professional career in city management as Assistant to the Dallas City Manager.
Jackson received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Duke University
and a Master of Public Administration from Southern Methodist University. He
was born in Austin, attended Dallas public schools, and graduated from Kimball
High School. He and his family live near White Rock Lake in East Dallas.
Congratulations,
Lee, on behalf of all graduates of Justin F. Kimball High School for your induction
into the “Hall of Fame”.