It’s likely most people on Kauai never heard of Alva Eugene “Gene” Jackson. They don’t know much about who he was or what he did. It could be not many are really too interested, anyway. But perhaps we should be.
It’s likely most people on Kauai never heard of Alva Eugene “Gene” Jackson. They don’t know much about who he was or what he did. It could be not many are really too interested, anyway. But perhaps we should be.
Gene Jackson died on Kauai Feb. 6, 2013. The 77-year-old Oregon man was killed in a two-car collision in Kapaa.
Here’s the nuts and bolts of the accident, which were reported in The Garden Island:
Jackson was a passenger in a Chevy HHR that was struck while attempting to make a U-turn from the northbound shoulder of Kuhio Highway, fronting the Kaiakea fire station. A Ford truck, heading north, collided with the driver’s side of the Chevy as it entered the northbound lane.
Jackson’s 71-year-old wife, Lois, who was driving at the time of the collision, had to be extricated from the crushed vehicle by police and firefighters. Medics transported her to Wilcox Hospital with head injuries.
Here’s a little more about Gene Jackson, according to his obituary: He practiced in various radiation oncology roles for 30 years. He lived in the Portland area for nearly 40 years, loved to travel and tend to his rose garden, was a guide at the Portland Japanese Garden and a member of First Presbyterian Church.
But there’s more about Gene you should know. Here’s what never made it into TGI — something worth sharing.
When the accident happened, a Wailua Homesteads woman was walking on Ke Ala Hele Makalae. She rushed to help the couple, opening Gene’s door and talking to him in his final minutes. She tried to assure him, comfort him, give him peace, before he died.
Later, she received this note from Lois Jackson, who recovered from the crash and returned to their Portland home:
I am the woman from the accident on Feb. 6, in which you attended my husband and myself.
I still have no recollection of the accident — but so appreciate you coming to the hospital and telling me that you were there with Gene when he died. I have told so many people that you were an angel sent to us.
I am recovering from a broken ankle, but miraculously, no other physical injuries — broken hearts take longer to heal. Gene was a poet and published several books, one of which I am sending to you.
Again, thank you so much for your care and follow-up with me in the hospital. You truly are my angel.
That poetry book Lois Jackson send to her angel on Kauai is titled, “Lyric Verses.”
Gene Jackson offered thoughts on life, and how to live, with his words. They bear repeating.
Here are some lines from his poems:
To Watch a River
Defer your feelings of remorse,
Take pleasure while you can, because
Your life is like the river’s course,
It started from an unseen source
And passes by without a pause.
Through all your time be sure to keep
Companions who in unison
Will comfort you if you should weep,
Stay with you even when you sleep;
Together live your lives as one.
The Journey
Pay attention to the play
As it is written, and enact
Your part with honor, and portray
Reality that was abstract
And if you stumble on the way
To safety on some distant shore,
I will befriend you, if I may,
For I have been that way before.
Perfection
So always seek to love, for in this fashion
You will increase your moral equity;
Align your life with kindness and compassion
And you will find eternal harmony.
Kingfishers
Our lives may thus be judged, as birds are not
According to the standards God has set;
If once we knew these, but we then forgot,
We will be plagued with infinite regret.
We must, then, use our freedom of behavior
To choose a path that will redeem our soul;
The principle of love will be our savior;
Our kindness to each other make us whole.
Solitaire
Our lives are brief, and they would be diminished
By anguish or by unproductive grieving;
So make the most of time, when it is finished,
Salute and say farewell, as you are leaving.
Though we didn’t know Alva Gene Jackson, he may still help us live well. All we have to do, is listen.
• Bill Buley, editor-in-chief, can be reached at 245-0457 or bbuley@thegardenisland.com.
