William B. Jackson, 1926-2010: BGSU prof gained world acclaim

William B. Jackson, 83, a Bowling Green State University biology professor whose expertise in the control of pests - urban rats, in particular - was sought internationally, died July 15 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago.

The cause was heart-related, his wife, Shirley, said. He had Lewy body dementia. The couple moved from their longtime Bowling Green home to a care facility in Chicago last year.

He retired from BGSU in 1985 and was a consultant afterward. He was a former executive director of the national honor fraternity of pest control professionals.

BGSU named him a "distinguished university professor" in 1981, one of the highest faculty honors. He was hired in 1957 as an assistant professor of biology and, later, was an assistant dean. In 1970, he was named the first permanent director of the BGSU Center for Environmental Studies.

He was written about in Time, National Geographic, and the New York Times. People magazine considered an article. He was interviewed on 60 Minutes by Mike Wallace.

He was among the first to show urban rats were resistant to a common poison. Before Boston began its Big Dig highway project, Mr. Jackson was hired to keep thousands of displaced rats and mice from invading neighborhoods. He helped Sudan and Kenya develop controls on grain-destroying birds.

"He had a big worldwide reputation," said Stephen Vessey, a BGSU biology professor emeritus.

He trained more than 100 graduate students at BGSU, including those he recruited from Africa and Asia.

"He was a very gifted teacher," said Dale Kaukeinen, a former student and a retired chemical company biologist. "He inspired a lot of enthusiasm in young people. He would have us to his home for dinner. We were one big family."

Many students returned to their homelands and went on to high-level government positions, Mr. Vessey said. With the demands of teaching, research, and travel, "it was a hectic life," his wife said. "He loved all of it."

Born in Milwaukee, as a boy he collected insects and watched birds. He received bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Wisconsin and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. "He'd always been very focused," his wife said. "I admired the fact that he always knew exactly what he wanted to do."

He was a Public Health Service officer before taking a two-year assignment to study rodents in Micronesia. On Bikini and Enewetak atolls, he studied the effects of atomic bomb testing on rats - the only survivors.

In the early 1970s, he led a team that studied the environmental impact of the under-construction Davis-Besse nuclear plant.

For his work in environmental science, he received a lifetime achievement award in 1995 from the Jack Berryman Institute at Utah State University.

Surviving are his wife, Shirley, whom he married Sept. 6, 1952; daughter, Beth Jackson; sons, Mark and Craig, and two granddaughters.

A celebration of life reception will be from 1-3 p.m. Aug. 14 in The Clare at Water Tower in Chicago.