Funeral Services for Hal Jackson

Radio pioneer Hal Jackson will be laid to rest this Thursday, May 31st at 11am.  Services will held at the Riverside Church on Claremont Avenue at 120th street, along Riverside Drive in Harlem New York.  The wake for the legendary announcer will be the day before, Wednesday, May 30th, from 2 to 5pm and 7 to 9pm, at the Frank Campbell funeral home – 1076 Madison Avenue @ 81st Street in NYC.

I’m proud to say that Hal Jackson was a mentor of mine, and I’m fortunate to have had the pleasure of being in his presence.  AN EXCERPT FROM WBLS.COM: The first Black radio announcer in network radio; the first Black host of a jazz show on the ABC network; the first Black play by play sports announcer on radio in the country; the first Black to host an interracial network television show on NBC-TV; the first person to broadcast from a theater live; organized and owned the first Black team to win the World’s Basketball championship; the first Black host of an international network television presentation; was instrumental in acquiring the first radio station owned and operated by Black people in New York City; the first to broadcast live from New York into Japan; the first New York City radio personality to broadcast three daily shows on three different stations in the same day; the first to broadcast live via satellite from Jamaica into New York.  His last radio show, “Hal Jackson’s Sunday Classics,” was rated #1 by Arbitron continuously in its time slot for over 11 years on 107.5 WBLS in New York.Jackson has for over 39 years been Executive Producer and Host of his Talented Teens International competition which highlights the intelligence, creativity and talents of young minority women 13 – 17 year of age. The ladies are given the opportunity of displaying their talents and competing for educational scholarships, trips abroad and the opportunity of networking with young women from around the world who are their peers. Past winners and participants are Tammi Townsend, Vanessa Williams and Jada Pinkett Smith.The list of Hal’s honors and awards is long.  Among them are being honored by Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt; Harry S. Truman; Dwight D. Eisenhower; and President John F. Kennedy, Jr., for his fund raising efforts.  In 1989 Hal Jackson’s 50 Years of Broadcasting and his major contributions to youth and charitable causes were acknowledged by the Honorable Mervyn M. Dymally of California, on the floor of the House of Representatives…  END OF ‘BLS EXCERPT

Hal Jackson was greatly admired and will be missed.  Another has left that did their work while they were here, we should all be so brave.

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