What do you call a life filled with service, curiosity, humor, and love? In Episode 197 of the Adventures in Learning Podcast, Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor shares a deeply personal tribute to her father, Dr. Edward John Jackson, a quiet hero whose life touched military service, higher education, community leadership, and family in lasting ways.

This episode honors Dr. Jackson’s journey from a difficult childhood to a distinguished Army career and a decades-long legacy at Fayetteville Technical Community College. Along the way, Dr. Diane weaves in stories that reveal his adventurous spirit, his gift for play, his commitment to equity and education, and the joyful way he showed up for the people he loved.

Listeners will hear memories of travel, teaching, theater, puppets, family adventures, and the creation of programs that made education more accessible for service members and working adults. At its heart, this episode is a celebration of a life that embodied wonder, connection, and the belief that learning should open doors for others.

Chapters

• 00:00 Opening tribute and introduction to Dr. Edward Jackson
• 02:00 Pamela the chimpanzee and an early summer job
• 05:20 Choosing the Army and seeing the world
• 09:00 Rising from enlisted soldier to officer
• 13:06 Korea, OCS, and the realities of military life
• 16:01 Segregation, service, and standing for equal rights
• 17:16 Women in the Army and supporting change
• 18:44 Education, graduate school, and teaching
• 20:24 Building SOCAD and changing degree pathways
• 23:27 Transforming Fayetteville Technical Community College
• 25:28 Theater, the arts, and community service
• 26:31 Play, family adventures, and imagination
• 33:19 Sunday school, teaching, and faith
• 36:11 Final reflections and closing tribute

Key moments

• Dr. Jackson helped build smoother educational pathways for service members through SOCAD and transfer credit reform.
• He lived through major social change in the Army and supported equal rights, women soldiers, and integration.
• He brought play, creativity, and wonder into family life through puppets, forts, games, and travel.
• He served his community through education, theater, faith, and civic organizations.
• His legacy continues through his daughters, granddaughters, and the many people whose lives he shaped.

About Dr. Edward John Jackson

Dr. Edward John Jackson (Maj. Ret.) served more than 20 years in the United States Army, including tours in Korea and Vietnam, and later dedicated decades to Fayetteville Technical Community College. He was a builder of programs, a champion for equity, a lover of learning, and a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend.

Memorial information

Memorial gifts may be made to the Dr. Edward and Eleanor Jackson Memorial Scholarship at the Fayetteville Technical Community College Foundation, P.O. Box 35236, Fayetteville, NC 28303, or online through Fayetteville Tech’s giving page by selecting “give now” and noting “Dr. Edward Jackson” in the comments.

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