Nov 27, 1920 - May 14, 2009

John E. Jaqua, a philanthropist, leader of the legal community and major donor to the arts and the University of Oregon, died following a long illness at age 88.

He played an early part in the formation of Nike and became a Nike board member in 1968.

Jaqua, a decorated World War II Marine aviator, died Thursday.

His legacy includes the John E. Jaqua Law Library at the UO, the Jaqua Concert Hall at Eugene's Shedd Institute and the Jaqua Distinguished Alumnus Award at the law school.

His volunteer efforts included the American Red Cross, the Marist Foundation, the Springfield Museum, the Sacred Heart Medical Center Foundation, the YMCA, and the Oregon Historical Society.

He was a longtime friend of former UO track coach Bill Bowerman, and it was in the living room of Jaqua's McKenzie River home that Bowerman and former UO runner Phil Knight had a meeting that led to the formation of Nike.

Jaqua was on the Nike board of directors from 1968 to 2004.

The Jaquas settled on their McKenzie River property in the early 1950s and sold a conservation easement on the 1,200-acre parcel to The Nature Conservancy to assure that it would remain in is natural state.

He was a former member of the Oregon State Bar Association Board of Examiners and Board of Governors and the American Bar Association Board of Delegates. ~~~~

The Register-Guard newspaper
Eugene, Lane County, Oregon
Thursday, May 21, 2009, page B4

John Jaqua

A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, at the Shedd Institute for the Arts in Eugene for John Evans Jaqua of Eugene. He died May 14 of age-related causes at 88.

He was born Nov. 27, 1920, in Hampton, Iowa, to Earnest and Gwendolyn Jaqua. He married Rosamond "Robin" Robinson on Feb. 27, 1944, in Claremont, Calif.  (CHS c/o 1938)

Jaqua served in the Marines from 1942 to 1945 as a pilot of the TBM Grumman Avenger torpedo bomber, including service in the Pacific campaign in 1943-44. He attained the rank of major and was awarded numerous medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. He graduated from Pomona College in 1947 and from the University of Oregon Law School in 1950.

He was the founding partner of the Jaqua & Wheatley law firm and practiced law in Eugene for more than 50 years.

He belonged to the Oregon State Bar Association, serving as its president in 1984, and was Oregon representative to the American Bar Association for many years.

Survivors include his wife; three sons, Jim and Jon, both of Eugene, and Stephen of Sisters; a daughter, Anne Jaqua of Portland; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Arrangements by Musgrove Family Mortuary in Eugene. Remembrances to the Shedd Institute or The Relief Nursery.

John and Robin Jaqua at their McKenzie River property (Photo by Chris Pietsch)

Robin Jaqua, one of the UO’s strongest supporters and a leading figure in the community, died Sunday, Nov. 9, following a lifetime of service to children, the arts and education. She was 94.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

A longtime resident of Lane County, Jaqua moved to the area in the late 1940s with her husband, John Jaqua, who became an admired attorney. Both were active volunteers who gave time, energy and resources to a variety of local organizations.

Later, Robin Jaqua studied counseling at the UO’s College of Education, where she earned a master’s degree in 1971 and completed her doctorate in 1975. She then began a career working with children and their families.

Nationally renowned in the field of Jungian analysis and archetypal symbolism, Jaqua earned a diploma from the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1984 and returned to Eugene to begin her practice as a Jungian analyst. Jaqua served as the director of training for Eugene’s Pacific Northwest Society of Jungian Analysts.

Jaqua and her late husband were prominent philanthropists, giving generously to the arts, the UO and organizations supporting children and families. The Jaquas supported the university’s School of Law, College of Education, Oregon Bach Festival, Museum of Natural and Cultural History, Northwest Indian Language Institute and athletics.

Throughout their lives, Robin and John Jaqua were among the university’s most generous donors and unfailing advocates. John Jaqua led the campaign that raised money for what is now the Knight Law Center and the couple funded the building’s John E. Jaqua Law Library. 

Today the Jaqua name is prominent on campus. In addition to the law library, they are remembered with the John E. Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes and the Robin Jaqua Archetypal Library in the College of Education — testaments to the Jaquas’ commitment to the university.

The couple also gave generously to the arts and organizations supporting children and families. Among their many community contributions was a gift that allowed a local group to purchase the former First Baptist Church downtown and establish the John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts.

"There is nobody who was more gracious, and who had more fun, in making her generous contributions than Robin Jaqua," said Ginevra Ralph, vice chair of the UO Board of Trustees and director of education for the Shedd institute. "It meant all the world to her to make a difference in her community through her personal energy, special causes and friendship, as well as her extraordinary gifts."

The Jaquas came to Oregon after John Jaqua, a decorated Marine aviator, served in World War II and they both graduated from Pomona College. John Jaqua finished law school at the UO in 1950, and the Jaquas moved to their McKenzie River ranch in 1954.

The couple later granted a conservation easement for the 1,200-acre property to The Nature Conservancy, leaving it protected from future development. It is now known as the Coburg Ridge Preserve.

John Jaqua died in 2009. He was a distinguished Eugene-Springfield attorney who served on Nike’s board for more than 30 years.

Robin Jaqua is survived by her four children, Jim and Jon of Eugene, Anne of Portland and Stephen of Sisters; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.