Thomas H. Jackson, huntsman for twenty-five years at the Mission Valley Hunt (KS) and huntsman and Joint-Master of the Coal Valley Hounds (KS), passed away on Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at age seventy. Tommy enjoyed a stellar reputation in the hunting world. I can honestly say that I never saw any huntsman more passionate about seeing the job done right.
Born in Bellevue, Pennsylvania on June 19, 1945, to Joseph Henry and Mary Agnes (McAuliffe) Jackson, he went to work at a very young age due to family financial struggles. He loved the outdoors and farm life. One of his first jobs was at a dairy farm in the Sewickley area.
Tommy was drafted into the Army on October 20, 1965 and received an Honorable Discharge two years later. He served one tour in Vietnam with notable honors: National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with two Bronze Stars, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and Marksman Rifle Award.
After returning from Vietnam, Tommy went to work as a stable groom at the Allegheny Country Club. He grew fond of horses and horseback riding, and this job launched him on his life-long career. Through the club’s affiliation with the Sewickley Hunt, he worked his way up to the position of Professional Huntsman. Foxhunting was not just a job or a hobby for Tommy; it was his passion.
His career took him to the Ottawa Valley Hunt (ON) for eight years, to Columbus, Georgia, and then to the Mission Valley Hunt for the next twenty-five years. He became huntsmen at the Coal Valley Hunt and Joint-Master with Wes and Kathleen Sandness who organized the hunt on their ranch as a result of Tommy’s original suggestion and encouragement.
Wes Sandness was a horseman from childhood, and as a boy always enjoyed hunting with beagles on foot, but he never put the two—horses and hounds—together until his adult years. Wes joined the Mission Valley Hunt (KS), enjoyed his hunting there behind Tommy Jackson, and they became friends.
“Tommy ran that hunt,” said Wes. “He did it all—the landowners, the country, the breeding. He was meticulous in his training and what he expected from his hounds. Everybody loved him as a huntsman.
“Tommy loved hunting more than anything else. He was well-known, and he judged hound shows all over the country. He organized the Central States Hound Show for years. And he helped all the neighboring hunts with drafts.”
After seeing Wes’s ranch, Tommy urged Wes to start his own hunt right there. Which he did!
“Tommy gave me hounds to get started. He was so helpful and supportive, I made him Joint-MFH.”
His charm and wit no doubt came from his Irish heritage. He taught his children traditional values and to have respect for outdoors and nature. His life was celebrated as a determined and talented huntsman, a soft and gentle soul, a soldier, fierce friend, husband, and father. He is remembered by friends as the man that put everyone in front of himself and never expecting a thing.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Road, Suite 300, Jacksonville, Florida 32256.
Posted November 30, 2015