For Ira A. Jackson ’70, the director of the Kennedy School’s Center for Business and Government, Sept. 11 rewrote the book—literally.

Jackson had been writing a book calling for a new level of engagement between businesses and government in public service endeavors.

Then the terrorists struck, and the society he envisioned seemed to come about spontaneously, with every sector of society taking part in the relief effort.

“I have to re-write from the first sentence on,” Jackson says.

Community involvement, ranging from blood drives to benefit concerts, has been surging since Sept. 11. Jackson sees this as a unique opportunity.

He says the last few weeks call to mind the spirit that sustained America during World War II.

“Boys scouts used to go to the gas stations and collect rubber mats from cars to contribute them to the war effort,” he says.

In similar fashion, Americans are uniting now to deal with the security crisis and with the sense of grief many Americans are facing, Jackson says.

The government should promote this civic involvement as much as possible—both domestically and internationally—through funding political and public service reforms, he says.

“We have an opportunity to build a civic society the likes of which we haven’t seen since World War II,” he says.

The Right Man For The Job

For many years, Jackson swam against the political current in a society that believed a government that governs best governs least.

Businesses, Jackson says, often looked at community service as a distraction in the pursuit of profits.

“A funny thing happened to capitalism on its way to riches: it forgot that the democratic institutions that helped to create, nurture and protect a healthy climate for business themselves need to be nurtured and supported,” the beginning of his book read.

Jackson had a chance to put his theories into practice during his 12-year tenure as executive vice president of BankBoston, now Fleet Bank.