Abner Val Jackson, Sr. was born in Wichita, KS in 1933. He graduated from North High School. He served in the U.S. Army and had the distinction of being one of the first African Americans to integrate the Wichita Fire Department. He left the fire department to work with his father, Abner B. Jackson, Jr., and his twin brother, Anderson Eugene “Gene” Jackson. While running the business, he and his wife, Erma, operated Jackson Realty and Skin Appeal Cosmetics, managed Calvary Towers Senior Citizen Housing Project and had other business holdings.

Along with his position as vice president of Jackson Mortuary, earning his funeral director’s license in 1961, Jackson served his community through his membership in organizations like the National Urban League and the NAACP. He was involved in policymaking for the City of Wichita and was honored by the city and the State of Kansas in acknowledgment of his commitment to the community. He served as chairman of the Metropolitan Planning Commission, the Board of Directors for the City of Wichita and the Board of Trustees for Wichita’s Calvary Baptist Church.

Abner Val Jean Jackson died on November 14, 2002. Val Jackson Elementary School was named in his honor in 2003.

Mr. Jackson has four children, 11 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.