MAYO HAYES O'DONNELL LIBRARY
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Margaret Jacks

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Margaret Anna Jacks was born on June 24, 1874, and next to her father, David Jacks, became one of the most important humanitarian philanthropists in Central California. Born in Monterey, California, Margaret attended the Cole Grammar School in Oakland, the Boston Girls’ Latin School, Radcliffe, and finally, Cornell, where she graduated in 1895. “Margaret confided to a friend that she wanted to become a teacher” (Alta Vista Magazine, May 12, 1991), but her passion for Monterey matched her father’s; “she loved the small town with whitewashed adobes and red-tiled roofs.” Ibid.

After the death of her parents and her brother Will’s dissolution of the David Jacks Corporation, Margaret and her sisters Lee and Vida created the firm of L. V. and M. Jacks to continue the successful enterprises to which the entire family had contributed. Margaret served on the Monterey Planning Commission and Architectural Review Board to maintain the beauty of homes and historical buildings. She was a founding member of the Monterey Art and History Association and the Monterey Foundation. Margaret brought to Monterey the Chapter of the Red Cross, where she was recognized with the resolution that was adopted and tendered by the committee:

          Whereas:  our President Margaret A. Jack who, by her efficiency and enthusiasm,
          has aroused interest in the league among our citizens, which we feel has been a
          benefit to the community, binding hearts together in one common cause and
          helping all men to feel that they are brothers, and has endeared herself to the
          members of the Monterey-Pacific Grove Red Cross League by her untiring efforts
          in behalf of the same that through it hundreds of our brave boys who are fighting
          for the rights of humanity and for the honor and protection of our beloved land
          may and have been benefited…. 
                                                                                                                     Kenneth C. Jack
                                                                                                                     Chronicles Dec. 2011

After her sisters Lee and Vida passed, they left their enormous fortunes to many institutions and to Margaret, knowing that she would provide financial assistance and significant property for Monterey and the state of California in perpetuity. The Custom House, Pacific House, the Memory Garden, Casa del Oro, Lake El Estero, Jacks Peak Park and Ball Park, Washerwoman’s Bay, Don Dahvee Park, Iris Canyon, Friendly Plaza, Los Coches Adobe (near Soledad), land for the Monterey Sports Center, and a recreational park for Ryan Ranch. “In 1960 Margaret donated the Jack-DeHaven Art Collection to the Monterey Public Library.” Ibid. On April 7, 1960 Margaret was commended for her contributions to the Monterey Historic Park system by the California Senate. Additionally, she was honored with an Award of Merit by the California Historical Society. A special collection of 15 paintings and 15 etchings, the Jacks-DeHaven collection, was given to the Monterey Public Library. Margaret requested that the city find a proper gallery to show the artwork, worth thousands of dollars, and to provide a gallery for local artists.

 Like her sisters Lee and Vida, Margaret never married, but she devoted her life to religious, civic, humanitarian, historical, environmental, educational, and hospitals. The Department of English is currently housed in the Margaret A. Jacks wing at Stanford University on the north side of the outer Main Quad. Margaret left over two million dollars to Stanford University among her many bequests at her death.

Margaret died on April 11, l962, and following her death, the “flags on all public buildings in Monterey hung at half-mast in grateful thanks to all she had done for the community of Monterey.” (Chronicles, Kenneth C. Jack)

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Margaret Jacks in costume for a La Merienda Party in Monterey
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Margaret Jacks Hall, Stanford University
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Margaret Jacks buried in the Monterey Cemetery, Cementerio El Encinal
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  • Home
  • Picture File Collection
    • Monterey Peninsula
    • Adjacent Areas of Monterey County
    • Historic Figure Portrait Gallery
    • Further Afield
  • Laura Bride Powers
  • Colonel Roger Fitch
    • 11th Cavalry Commandants Gallery
    • Colonel Roger Fitch Memorial
  • Mayo Hayes O'Donnell
    • MHAA Tribute to Mayo
    • Monterey Peninsula Diary
    • Mayo's Life in Photos
    • Mr. William O'Donnell's Obituary
    • Auntie Mayo's Old Adobe House
    • History of Monterey by Mayo Hayes O'Donnell
  • Amelie Elkinton
    • The Amelie Elkinton Collection
    • Vistas and Street Scenes
    • Historic Buildings
    • Post Cards and Calendar Pages
    • Historic Figure Portrait Gallery
    • Del Monte Properties Advertising Photos
    • Monterey Fishing Industry
    • Newspaper and Magazine Clippings
    • Misc Artifacts
    • Negatives
  • Jacks Family
    • David Jacks
    • Mary Christina Jacks
    • Janet Jacks
    • Will Jacks
    • Margaret Jacks
    • Lee Jacks Page
    • Romie Jacks
    • Vida Jacks
    • Mary Romie Jacks
    • Christina Jack
    • The Hoover Connection
    • David Jacks - Land Baron
    • The Kenneth Jack Library
  • Book Holdings
  • Bios, Archives, & Periodicals
    • MHOD Resident Files >
      • Available Biographical Information
      • Adobes
      • Historic Houses
    • The Anthony Family Collection >
      • The Anthony Family Ancestral Gallery
      • J. C. Anthony
      • J. C. Anthony, Jr.
      • Edna Joy Anthony
      • Edith Anne Anthony
      • Harold MacLean (Joy's Husband)
      • Schools Days
      • Picnics and Excursions
      • Buildings and Construction Projects
      • Stereopticon Images
    • The Hellam Collection >
      • Hellam Photo Collection
      • "The Hellams of Monterey" Brochure
      • Transcription of an Oral History of the Monterey Police Court
    • Wilford Rensselar Holman - Holman's Department Store
    • Olive Isbell - First "American" Teacher in California
    • Evelyn Diaz Hinckley
    • The Minnie Coyle Collection >
      • Mayor Minnie Coyle Commemorative Brochure
    • The Wayne Edwards Collection >
      • World War I Era Photos
      • Wayne Edwards Letters
    • 100 Story Project >
      • 100 Story Project - Agricultural History
      • 100 Story Project - Bay and Marine Ecosystem
      • 100 Story Project - Maritime History
      • 100 Story Project - Monterey Peninsula History
      • 100 Story Project - Art
      • 100 Story Project - Music and Music History
      • 100 Story Project - Food and Wine
      • 100 Story Project - Monterey Potpourri of Stories
    • Lists and Misc
    • Periodicals >
      • Monterey County Archaeological Society Quarterly
      • The Pacific Historian
      • Noticias del Puerto de Monterey
    • Doud House Archive >
      • Artists Biographical Files
      • Poster Collection >
        • Adobe Tour Posters & Programs
        • Jo Mora Posters
        • Misc Posters
        • Poster Artists
  • Postcards
  • History Links
  • Contact