Mervin P. Jackson obit

Friends remember former Beach star Mervin Jackson

 He was not on the list.

Friends of the late Mervin Jackson, who starred for two Beach High School state title teams before playing college and professional basketball, want him to be buried in his hometown of Savannah.

Jackson died June 7 at his Chicago residence, according to Adams Funeral Services, Inc., of Savannah, which is awaiting funeral arrangements. Jackson, born Aug. 15, 1946 in Savannah, was 65. The cause of death has not been announced.

"We're trying to bring him home," said State Rep. Mickey Stephens, D-Savannah, a friend since childhood. "We are trying to organize a memorial."

Stephens, two years ahead of Jackson in school, said he grew up on 46th Street, Jackson on 47th. They played a variety of sports in and around the Cann Park neighborhood.

"We have a close-knit community," he said. "We were good friends. We all grew up together."

Ronald Booker, Jackson's basketball teammate and a fellow member of the Beach High School Class of 1964, said his friend "didn't have a lot of family left" in Savannah.

Jackson's mother, Vestie Dickson Jackson, died in January 2010, with the obituary noting she left behind one son, Mervin Peter Jackson Jr.

Booker said Mervin Jackson's friends want to help with the service and burial. Stephens, who like Booker learned about Jackson's death through a network of his friends, said they have located a first cousin in Texas and a second cousin in Savannah.

Jackson's body has been released by Illinois authorities for transport to Adams' facility, Stephens said Thursday, and he is optimistic that funds to cover costs can be raised by early next week.

They have established a fund through Carver State Bank. To donate, visit or mail a check to the branches at 701 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Savannah, GA 31401; and 7110 Skidaway Road, Savannah, GA 31406.

'The Magician'

Mervin "The Magician" Jackson was listed at 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds by the time he was a pro. But previously he stood tall among his peers at Beach High School, which in the days before integration won state titles in 1963 and '64, Booker recalled.

"He was probably one of the most prominent basketball players in Beach High history in terms of boys basketball," said Booker, 66, now Beach's athletic director and a state coaching legend at the helm of the perennially strong girls basketball team.

"He was our premier player," he said of that team. "Mervin was probably a small forward. He was the best ballhandler, best shooter, best rebounder, best jumper. He was very good."

Stephens said Jackson "set the standard" for a player from the Cann Park area to go to an NCAA Division I program on a basketball scholarship, calling it "a real big deal."

"That was the talk of the community for years," Stephens said. "That's the first time we had anybody in that era to reach those heights."

In three varsity seasons at Utah (1965-68), Jackson was selected an All-America (1968) and All-Western Athletic Conference (1966-67 and 1967-68). One of 34 Utes in the 1,000-point club, he ranks 18th on Utah's all-time scoring list (1,458 points) and seventh in career scoring average (17.6).

He also was the team's captain for two seasons. Jackson was drafted in the ninth round, 120th overall, by the NBA's Phoenix Suns in 1968.

He signed instead with the rival American Basketball Association's Los Angeles Stars, who in 1970 became the Utah Stars, ABA champions in 1971. He played guard for the Memphis Tams from 1972-73. He won a league championship with Utah in 1971 and appeared in the 1969 ABA All-Star Game. In his ABA career, Jackson averaged 11.6 points per game.[

Jackson, an all-star in 1969, averaged 11.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists over 262 games.

"He was an outstanding student-athlete, a very versatile athlete," Booker said. "He may have been as good in baseball as basketball.

"I thought he had a stellar career in the pros," Booker continued. "The knee injury he sustained ended his career abruptly."

But he was never forgotten in Savannah. In 1979, Jackson was enshrined in the Greater Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame.