Russell Todd Jackson, “Todd” was born in Madison, Wis., on April 8, 1941. He and his family drove the rudimentary Alcan Highway from Wisconsin to Alaska in 1947. Initially living in Anchorage, the family moved to Seldovia in 1957. He graduated from Seldovia High School in 1959 and attended the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, Santa Rosa Junior College in Santa Rosa, Calif., and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, majoring in mathematics.
In 1967, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Vietnam. During his tour of duty, he traveled to Australia, Taiwan and Singapore. While in boot camp, he initially studied to be a radio operator, but after being there for a while discovered that radio operators were enemy targets and had the shortest life expectancy. From then on, hard as he tried, he just couldn’t pass a test. He ended up being a dispatcher.
As a direct descendent of General Michael Jackson, and as the eldest son of the Jackson family, he was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati, the oldest military hereditary society in the U.S.
Todd began his commercial fishing career in the early 60s in Seldovia and served as a crew member on salmon, king crab, halibut and black cod boats. In the 80s he owned the Susan Rae which fished out of Seldovia. He also was a skilled carpenter and frequently worked in the off season building and remodeling homes for friends in Seldovia.
He collected guns, enjoyed learning about the Civil War and loved moose hunting every fall with his friends. Todd had a stroke in 1998 which ended his fishing career, but he continued his annual hunting trips, cooking and keeping the home fires burning while his buddies brought home the moose.
He was a much-loved member of the Seldovia community and was especially close to many of the old-timers. Todd was intelligent and had a quick wit and a wonderful sense of humor. He was a good friend, a great brother and a proud uncle. He will be greatly missed by all.