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Scholarship endowed in Jackson’s honor

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – When State Auditor Tom Schweich and his spokesman Spence Jackson both committed suicide within a month of each other last year, it shocked the Capitol, Jefferson City and everyone involved in Missouri politics.

Jeff Layman, the current state finance chairman of the Greitens for Governor campaign, said their deaths were two of the darkest days in Missouri politics.

However, Layman is now hoping to bring at least a bit of light out of the tragedy.

Jackson
The late Spence Jackson

The Spence Jackson Memorial Scholarship Fund is designed to provide financial assistance to Missouri State University students. The exact nature of the scholarship is still being finalized, but it will be geared towards students interested in political science degrees. Last month, the Tom Schweich Campaign Committee put $34,551.50 into the scholarship to fully endow the scholarship, giving those students a chance to follow in Jackson’s footsteps.

“It’s a very positive development in the midst of two tragedies, and what I think is great is it will go to help other kids and prolong the memory of Spence,” Layman said. “It’s a great thing to help turn that into something positive. It was a very rough time for a lot of people, especially the Schweich and Jackson families.”

Layman added that the Schweich family, especially Kathy Schweich as well as Trish Vincent, Schweich’s former chief of staff and Joe Passanise, Schweich’s former campaign treasurer were all incredibly important in endowing the scholarship.

All the motivation Layman needed to start the fund was in his connection to Jackson, who he described as a lifelong friend.

“We were college buddies, we worked on political campaigns, and we were very close,” Layman said.

Jackson was a graduate of Missouri State and grew up in Springfield.

Gifts can be made to the Spence Jackson Memorial Scholarship Fund established at the Missouri State Foundation located at 300 South Jefferson, Springfield, Missouri 65806.