Scholarship honors late TEP houseman

Tau Epsilon Phi brothers and alumni came together Saturday afternoon for a presentation in honor of a beloved friend -- their late houseman Alzie Jackson. College sophomore and TEP brother Ari Johnson, Jackson's grandson, received the first annual Alzie Jackson TEP Scholarship, which was created by the alumni in honor of a man who touched the lives of generations of TEP brothers. Jackson, who died in February 1997 at age 69, worked at the house for 40 years. "Not only is this an honor but a blessing to receive this scholarship," said Johnson, who shed tears as he spoke about his grandfather and their mutual affection for their extended family of TEP brothers. Johnson said TEP was "like another family for [Jackson]" and that "he always talked about the brothers." When Jackson -- who was also a hat designer and taught hat-making at Moore College of the Arts -- died, the alumni formed a committee to decide how to best preserve the legacy of their friend and father figure. They collected $120,000 in donations and endowed the scholarship. The award will be given annually to a deserving student each year, amounting to $25,000 per year. Johnson will receive the award for the next three years, after which Penn officials will pick the next recipient. The scholarship will be given annually to a student in financial need who shows a dedication to community service, has a diversity of interests, has overcome disadvantage and who strives for academic achievement, explained 1969 University graduate Steve Lerman, who chairs the scholarship fund and spoke at the presentation. "We thought it would fitting that [Johnson] would be the first Alzie Jackson Scholar," said Lerman, who was TEP president from 1968 to 1969. TEP President and College junior Mark Metzl, who admitted to crying during the ceremony, said "it is an honor to have Ari in the fraternity." Jackson made an impact on every TEP brother who walked in the door, said TEP alumnus Matthew Mandelbaum, who graduated in 1998. Mandelbaum said he remembers what Jackson said to him when Mandelbaum first moved into the TEP house. "He said, 'Tell your mom not to worry because you've got a home here'," Mandelbaum recalled. When Jackson wasn't taking care of his TEP family, he was hard at work in the fashion world. Known as "Mr. Alzie," he became a successful hat designer. Jackson's career as a hat maker began in Harlem in 1943 when he sold hats at Easter for $2 apiece and culminated with his participation in a millinery exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1993. After the exhibition he began to teach a course in on hat making at the Moore College of Art. Jackson spent his summers working with underprivileged children at Camp Sussex in New Jersey. "Maybe he couldn't leap tall buildings in a single bound," Lerman said. "But I'm sure he was working on it."