Sammy Jackson was a respected member of the racing community throughout the country. Jackson started his career in the racing industry in an unlikely place, the valet lot of Delta Downs Racetrack at the age of 16. Thirty years later he would end his career as the Texas Racing Commission’s Deputy Director of Finance and Administration. Jackson graduated from McNeese State University with a degree in accounting in 1987 and served as the Delta Downs’ staff accountant until the Louisiana State Racing Commission hired him as an assistant chief auditor and accountant the next year. Jackson’s skill in horse racing mathematics were renowned and the Texas Racing Commission offered him a job in 1994. Mr. Jackson developed  pari-mutuel wagering rules in Texas that later became the starting point for the national model rules. He helped form the Texas Pari-Mutuel Advisory Committee and also worked with the Texas Horsemen’s Partnership to develop a centralized bookkeeping system. In 2002 Mr. Jackson was promoted to Deputy Director for Pari-Mutuels and Licensing and over the next few years he also oversaw the Finance and Information Technology departments. Jackson was known as a loving family member with a deep loyalty to friends. Sammy Jackson passed away November 17th, 2014.