Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr., Founder and President of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, who passed away last month at the age of 84, was no stranger to me.

I became aware of Rev. Jackson as a civil rights leader and crusader for the poor several years ago when working with Sen. Jacob K. Javits, R- N.Y., on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human

Needs, the so-called "Hunger Committee," and when I served worked with Ronald Reagan on his 1980 presidential campaigns.

In 1969, after concluding a statewide campaign against hunger in Illinois, Jackson, director of Operation Breadbasket for Dr. Martin Luther King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), testified before the committee — which was investigating hunger and malnutrition in the United States — at a hearing in East St. Louis, Illinois.

His testimony contributed to the momentum for expanding the food stamp, school lunch, and school breakfast programs.

During his testimony, he praised the Black Panther Party for its " . . . creative and revolutionary" free breakfast program, which fed "thousands of hungry children . . . "

A few years later, I met him when he was the featured speaker at a fundraising dinner for the "Food First Campaign."

That dinner was sponsored by National Football League (NFL) legend Jim Brown and other NFL players to raise funds to send food to Mississippi.

I next met Jackson while serving as a surrogate speaker and adviser during Reagan’s1980 Presidential campaign.

After Reagan won the presidential nomination at the 1980 Republican nomination in Detroit, I was a member of his advance team for his National Urban League Convention speech in New York — ("jobs, jobs, jobs") — and his Chicago meeting with John H. Johnson — founder and publisher of Johnson Publishing Company, publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines.

Both meetings went very well.

Prior to our Chicago visit, one of the Black campaign advisers from the Republican National Committee (RNC) had suggested we include a meeting with Rev. Jackson.

I opposed the visit because I knew it most likely would result in Jackson grandstanding to embarrass the Governor, and that he could not be trusted.

Mike Deaver, one of Reagan's key advisers, mentioned that Jackson had stood up the Reagans for a planned meeting months before.

I lost the argument, and the visit to Jackson was scheduled.

After leaving the Johnson offices, we visited Reverend Jackson at his Operation PUSH offices.

As I had predicted, it was a disaster!

The meeting was held in Jackson's rather small office.

If there had been air conditioning, it felt like it wasn't working. Jackson sat behind his desk and immediately began lecturing Reagan on various issues. I sat next to Reagan, who, being the gentleman, he was, nodded and did not engage Jackson in some of his more outlandish comments.

After some time had passed, I felt it was time for Mrs. Reagan to join the meeting and went into an adjoining room where she was sitting with Peter, her Secret Service agent. "How is it going?" she asked with a smile on her face. "The reverend is lecturing your husband," I replied.

She immediately jumped up, came with me into the office, interrupting the discussion.

"I thought I would come in and join you," she told those sitting in the room.

The governor looked very relieved.

I couldn't hide my smile.

The tone in the room totally changed after she went in.

After the meeting, I headed to the airport to return to Washington and the Reagans and the Campaign plane went on to California.

When I got to my gate for the trip to D.C., Jackson was standing there waiting to board the same plane!

We sat next to each other on the flight to Washington. After he commented negatively on Reagan, calling him "senile," we chatted briefly. I then took a long nap until we landed back in Washington.

I did not chat with him again until we debated each other when I was representing the 1984 Reagan-Bush campaign on "CBS Nightwatch," hosted by Charlie Rose.

Regardless of his political views or personal opinions about him, Jackson did not deserve the disrespectful treatment he received at his Memorial services from former Democratic Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, and former Vice President Kamala Harris.

His son, Jesse Jackson, Jr., was right to criticize them for disrespecting his father.

Instead of choosing the high road of praising Jackson and celebrating his accomplishments during his 40-plus years of service, including his historic two runs for president, they chose the self-serving low road of playing politics and attacking President Trump.

Shameful!

(Author's note: Portions of the preceding column are from his forthcoming book, "Going with Reagan.")

Clarence V. McKee is president of McKee Communications, Inc., a government, political, and media relations and training consulting firm in Florida. He is the author of "How Obama Failed Black America and How Trump Is Helping It." Read more Clarence V. McKee Insider articles — Click Here Now.r