Donald George Jackson joined the local skating club at the age of eight and it was the beginning of a journey that would culminate in a World Championship 13 years later.

Jackson was born in Oshawa on April 2, 1940 and discovered the grace and athleticism of figure skating while watching the Barbara Ann Scott Skating Show as a seven-year-old boy.

The following year, he joined the Oshawa Skating Club and met former Canadian Junior champion Dick McLaughlin. McLaughlin was the president of the club and would later hold the same position with the Canadian Figure Skating Association.

Over the next decade, Jackson was coached by such luminaries as 1949 World Pairs champions Ede Kiraly, Great Britain's Arnold Gerschwiler, Otto Gold, who helped Canadian Barbara Ann Scott win to the world title in 1947 and 1948, and Pierre Brunet, who taught Jackson the rare triple lutz.

But it was Sheldon Galbraith who put all the pieces together as the 1961 World Championships approached. Galbraith helped develop the free skate program that would catapult Jackson into Canadian sports history.

But a world title would have to wait as tragedy struck the figure skating community. Jackson fell ill and missed his flight to Prague. Tragically, that plane, which was carrying the U.S. team, crashed upon landing, killing all on board. In a show of respect, the World Championships were cancelled.

The following year, Jackson was 45 points behind the favoured Russian, Karol Divin, after the compulsories. Needing a performance nearing perfection, the 21-year-old skated the program of his life, including the first triple lutz in world competition, to snatch the gold medal away from his Russian counterpart.

The crowd stood and cheered as perfect 6 after perfect 6, seven in all, was displayed on the board.

That year, Jackson was awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's Outstanding Athlete of the Year. He is also a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in Toronto.