During his career, Dr. Terry L. Jackson had specialized in pain management, physical medicine and rehabilitation, practiced in Great Falls for 11 years, and served as Director of Rehabilitation at Columbus Hospital. That’s why his wife, Paula, wanted him to be remembered in a way that would continue to help patients.
After Dr. Jackson died in 2001, Paula created the Terry L. Jackson, M.D. Memorial Scholarship, for students interested in becoming physical therapy assistants, through Benefis Healthcare Foundation.
“This scholarship was created to honor my husband’s memory and to fulfill the wish he expressed to help students pursue careers in medicine,” said Paula.
Paula said when she and her husband were drawing up their wills, he suggested setting up a memorial scholarship for students wanting to pursue careers in healthcare. So after he died, she worked closely with the Foundation to study and investigate possible healthcare education opportunities.
The Physical Therapy Assistant Program at Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology was the perfect fit for a scholarship in Dr. Jackson’s name. The program had just been reinstated, so the timing for the creation of the scholarship was perfect.
Dr. Jackson earned a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Utah College of Medicine in 1973. He completed his surgical residency at Emanuel Hospital in Portland, OR, from 1973 to 1975 and his anesthesia residency at the University of Washington in Seattle from 1975 to 1977.
Dr. Jackson loved boating and fishing, especially salmon fishing in the Pacific Northwest. He died suddenly at the age of 55 on October 10, 2001.
“I wanted him to be remembered because helping patients was his life,” said Paula.