David S. Jackman III

David Stockdale Jackman III died of natural causes surrounded by family on May 20, 2023, at his sister's home in Wichita, Kansas. David was born to Margaret (Astle) and David Jackman Jr. on January 26, 1944 in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where his dad trained soldiers during WWII. Growing up on the outskirts of Wichita, David was always happiest outdoors, honing his hunting skills on quail and ducks before becoming an Eagle Scout. Summers were spent in the mountains of Colorado, riding horses and cooking up freshly caught trout at his grandfather's cabin on the Frying Pan River. As a child in postwar Wichita, David was always captivated by aviation. He soloed his first aircraft—a Cessna 140—at the age of 14. Returning to flying later in life, he found happiness and adventure criss-crossing the country in small planes. David graduated from Wichita State University in 1968, then earned his JD from Stanford Law School in 1971. At Stanford, he co-founded the school's Environmental Law Society, and became its first president. After Stanford, David pursued his interest in conservation issues by going north to Juneau, Alaska, where he accepted a position as Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division of the Alaska Department of Law. In that role, David worked on a number of groundbreaking pieces of legislation. Sitting at his kitchen table, he wrote the bill that became the first limited entry fishing program for the state of Alaska, and then later became the first chairman of the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission. After the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, he was appointed state chairman of the Joint Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission for Alaska. Despite his meteoric rise as a young man in the Alaska government, when David's father asked for his help in running a small oil and gas operating company, David returned home to Kansas for a period in the 1970s. But David was always looking for a place to plant permanent roots. Having heard of Wallowa County, Oregon from a law school classmate, he bought a bucolic ranch there, where he and his wife Christine raised a family and made it their home for the next 50 years. In Oregon, David ran small herds of cows and sheep, served for eight years on the local planning commission, and started a private law practice. David was always busy. He played guitar in a band called the Possum Trotters, served as vice-chair on the Soil and Water Conservation Board, and started the Grande Ronde River Alliance to prevent Wallowa County from being strip-mined for coal. In the late 1980s, he took over operations of Valley Bronze of Oregon, a small art foundry, and remained at the helm for the next 35 years, employing 25 employees and overseeing celebrated projects like the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC and the cases which house the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence at the National Archives. After his father died in 2009, David also helped manage his family's disparate investments and businesses near Wichita, splitting his time between Oregon and Kansas. Through it all, David never stopped enjoying the outdoors and, in later years, loved ferrying back to Alaska to fish during the rainy summer. He also never lost his gift for music. His family will always remember his singing and skill on the guitar that brought joy to many a family gathering. David is survived by his wife of 51 years, Christine Jackman in Oregon; daughter Amy Jackman in Oregon; daughter Sarah Jackman in Idaho and her children David Salim and Asiya Salim; son Thomas Jackman (Stephanie) in British Columbia and son William; daughter Katy Tyndell (Shawn) and her children, Avery, Riley, and Jack in Kansas; and sister Katherine Hanscom in Kansas. David will be interred at the Laurel Cemetery in Haven, Kansas, alongside generations of maternal ancestors. An informal gathering in his honor will be held on Thursday, May 25, 2023, from 3:00-5:00 p.m., at 1710 Waterfront Parkway in Wichita, Kansas. A celebration of life will be held July 2, 2023 in Joseph, Oregon. Cards and condolences may be sent to 111 S. Whittier #5100, Wichita, Kansas 67207.

David S. Jackman III

January 26, 1944 - May 20, 2023