Wreaths Across America:Honoring Lt. William Andrew Jackson, Bronze Star Recipient and Longtime Orinda Teacher

This holiday season, as volunteers gather at Lafayette Cemetery for Wreaths Across America, the Acalanes Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution remembers William Andrew “Bill” Jackson, a beloved Orinda educator and decorated World War II veteran.

Called to active duty during his freshman year at Princeton, Bill served in the U.S. Army’s 88th Infantry Division, earning the Combat Infantry Badge and the Bronze Star for bravery. His unit fought across North Africa and Italy, participating in the liberation of Rome in 1944, and earning the European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon with three bronze battle stars.

After the war, Bill returned to Princeton to complete his degree, then pursued graduate work at Cambridge and Oxford before settling in Orinda. For more than 30 years, he inspired generations of students as a history teacher at Orinda Intermediate School.

His life reminds us that the stories of courage and sacrifice live not only in history books, but in our own community. This December, as wreaths are placed on veterans’ graves, we honor Lt. Jackson and all those who served to defend liberty around the world.

📅 Saturday, December 13 • Noon
📍 Lafayette Cemetery, 3285 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Sponsor a wreath: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/CA0565
❤️🤍💙 Remember. Honor. Teach.