The students from Gregory “Jocko” Jackson School of Sports, Arts and Technology came to learn more about their school's namesake, Greg Jackson '74.
“It’s one thing to dream about going to college, but when you actually spend some time on a college and see a campus, a classroom and you start seeing yourself as someone who can attend college that makes the dream even more real.”
Friends and family say that no matter the setting, the late Greg Jackson ’74 always found a way to slip his beloved Guilford College into conversation. “Guilford was one of his favorite loves,” says Carmen, his wife. “It meant so much to him and he wanted others to know how it changed his life.”
Last week, 17 elementary school students, along with a handful of parents and school officials from the Gregory “Jocko” Jackson School of Sports, Arts and Technology in Brooklyn boarded a bus for a field trip to learn more about Guilford College and why the College was so dear to their school’s namesake.
The students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college, spent Saturday, April 20, like any other Guilford student. They walked the College’s leafy campus, toured Milner Residence Hall and dined on pizza (a lot of pizza) and BBQ in the cafeteria. They also hiked through Guilford Woods and learned more about the Underground Railroad history.
Greg, a member of Guilford’s 1973 NAIA national championship men’s basketball team, played briefly in the NBA and was later the longtime manager of the Brownsville Recreation Center in Brooklyn. He died suddenly at the age of 60 in 2012.
Principal Keva Pitts-Gerard says the field trip to a school 561 miles away was a great way for her students to learn more about the man whose name is on their school. Even more important, it gave the students a chance to envision themselves attending college one day.
“It’s one thing to dream about going to college, but when you actually spend some time on a college and see a campus, a classroom and you start seeing yourself as someone who can attend college that makes the dream even more real,” she says.
The idea of the field trip was the inspiration of Greg’s son, Malcolm Jackson, who attended a 50th reunion of the Quaker’s championship team at Guilford in February 2023. Guilford officials visited the elementary school last June, bearing Guilford swag for the students.
Malcolm and his family live in Atlanta, but they drove up to meet the students and parents at Guilford.
“My dad inspired me to go to college just by telling me how much of an impact Guilford had on everything he accomplished and that’s what we’re trying to do here,” he says. “If we can inspire these kids and some of them go to college, this weekend will be a success.”