Everett Gee Jackson

Everett Gee (pronounced like the letter g) Jackson was born in Mexia, Texas, a small oil town northwest of Houston. As a teen, he went to Mexico on hunting and camping trips, which nurtured his lifelong admiration of that country. Jackson traveled to Mexico in 1923 after studying at the Art Institute of Chicago and remained there for several years until he returned to the United States with his wife. They settled in San Diego, where Jackson taught art and pre-Columbian art history at the San Diego State University for thirty-three years (1930-63). A well-respected painter, Jackson was very active in the local art scene and was the founding chairman of the Latin American Arts Committee of the San Diego Museum of Art. His artwork was featured in many local, national, and international art shows, and he illustrated numerous books about Mexican and South American history and culture. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented one of Jackson's pieces, The Hikuli Seekers, as a goodwill gift to President José López Portillo of Mexico.