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Clarence Jackson
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Campus Engineer was Voice of Diplomacy
Clarence Jackson, a USF maintenance engineer for 21 years and a man known for his engineering skill and gentle calm, died suddenly Friday on campus from a heart attack. He was 55.
Co-workers said they found Jackson collapsed alongside the sidewalk on Golden Gate Avenue at 12:50 p.m. in front of the Hayes-Healy underground parking garage. Paramedics who arrived on the scene attempted CPR but were unable to revive Jackson.
“The office is kind of in pieces,” said Glenn Loomis, assistant vice president of facilities management, on Aug. 2. Many of Jackson’s co-workers had worked with him for years. Engineers, office assistants, and groundskeepers gathered around Jackson after his collapse, not far from the facilities offices in Hayes-Healy Hall. A shrine with flowers now occupies the spot.
“I was just trying to pray and just talked to him,” said Art Corral, an office assistant in the mailroom who was one of the first to find Jackson. “I said, ‘Please, C.J., please.’”
“God blessed us to have known you,” wrote Engineer Michael Vigil on a makeshift wooden cross at the site.
Jackson, an electrician, joined USF in 1981. He attended John Adams High School in Cleveland, Ohio and Tidewater Community College in Virginia before serving in the U.S. Navy from 1965 to 1969. During his tenure at USF, he maintained several buildings on campus including Gleeson Library/Geschke Center and St. Ignatius Church. Kendrick Hall was recently added to his responsibilities. In 1990, he became shop steward for Local 39, the union representing facilities’ employees.
“He was a voice of calm and reason with first-class engineering skills” Loomis said.
Jackson was well respected in the department for his diplomacy. He represented the union four times in contract negotiations with the university and was a peacemaker in any dispute.
“He was a warrior, he stood up for our department,” said Richard Ramos, a maintenance engineer. “He could calm you down if you got excited. He walked slow, he talked slow. He was a good listener.”
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Glenn Loomis, asst. vice president of facilities (center) and the engineering and maintenance crew, surround a shrine in Jackson's honor on Golden Gate Avenue.
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Jackson is survived by his wife, Tosha Jackson, and 2-year-old daughter Chloë. Jackson also had a step-daughter, Sherry, who attended USF’s nursing school in the late 1990s. Plans are being made for a memorial service in St. Ignatius Church.
“When I asked him to do something on the radio I’d say ‘thanks’ and he always answered, ‘you’re welcome,’” said Chris Foote, assistant chief engineer. “He was always even keeled.”
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