Darlene Jackson

Whenever I walked into Jaffe, one of the first people I would look for was Darlene. I had this strange way of announcing myself: I would knock on the glass of her office and shake my hand at her. Darlene would look at me and laugh. There was not a single question Darlene could not answer. She knew it all. She made everything work smoothly. She cared about all of us. As soon as I arrived as a first-year PhD student, she would give me tips on everything, from groceries to smoothies. Even in the hurry of everyday academic life, we could still find time to talk about more personal things. That's how I found out that Darlene was not a fan of cannoli! This year, when the fall semester started, I passed by her office. Counterintuitively, I knocked on the glass. Darlene was not there. I am glad we had the opportunity to be grateful to Darlene while she was with us. Now, she will continue to be with us in our memories and in our hearts. I will remember her funny smile, her contagious loud laugh, and the way she made Jaffe feels more welcoming. I hope Darlene's family and friends can find comfort.