Correction: Bob Jackson worked at The Gazette until his retirement in 1999.

When Bob Jackson told his parents that he wanted to pursue photography as a career, they initially tried to steer him toward a business-oriented profession.

“They thought photography would be a nice hobby,” said Jackson, 90. “But I managed to turn that hobby into a career.”

Little did they know that their son would one day earn the Pulitzer Prize for capturing one of the most iconic moments in U.S. history — Jack Ruby’s fatal shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald, who had assassinated President John F. Kennedy just two days before.

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There was little talk of that historic photograph on Saturday, when dozens of family members, friends and former co-workers converged at the Black Bear Distillery in Green Mountain Falls to throw a surprise birthday party for Jackson.

“It was a great party, and I was definitely surprised,” he said. “I couldn’t believe all those people showed up.”

“To people outside our circle, he’s considered a Pulitzer Prize winner who took this historic picture,” said Kelly England, Jackson’s daughter. “But to his friends, he’s just Bob. And to us kids, he’s just Daddy.”

Jackson, then a 29-year-old photographer for the Dallas Times Herald, was riding in the motorcade on Nov. 22, 1963, when President Kennedy was fatally shot. Sitting atop the back seat of a convertible several cars behind the presidential limousine, Jackson was in the process of changing film when the fatal shots rang out.

It was a moment that altered U.S. history, and Jackson had been stuck with an empty camera.

“I felt really bad about that,” he said. “I was pretty depressed. But I guess I made up for it two days later.”

On Nov. 24, Jackson was assigned to a police station to cover Oswald’s transfer to the county jail. He was standing near a police car when officers brought the suspected assassin outside.

As he was looking at Oswald through the viewfinder of his camera, Jackson saw a figure moving into his shot, threatening to obscure his view of Oswald.

“Of course, I didn’t know who was moving,” Jackson recalls now. “I just thought someone was about to get in my way.”

A moment later, Jack Ruby fired the shot that killed Oswald, and Jackson captured the wounded man’s pained expression right after the bullet struck.

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“I couldn’t have planned it any better,” Jackson said. “I guess Ruby fired — and I fired — at about the same time.”

The image earned Jackson the Pulitzer Prize for Photography. Asked where he keeps the prestigious award, he mused: “Let’s see. Where is it?”

Jackson, who lives in Manitou Springs, loaned some memorabilia and a few of his favorite photos to the city’s Heritage Center and Museum for an exhibit in 2018. His Pulitzer was among the loaned items.

“They were doing a lot of remodeling at the museum, so we brought it home,” Jackson said. “It’s around here, in a box someplace.”

The negative of the prize-winning photo is tucked away in a safe deposit box, he said.

Jackson moved from Texas to Colorado in 1980 and took a job with The Gazette (then the Gazette Telegraph), where he worked until his retirement in 1999.

“I’ve loved living up here,” he said. “It’s a great place to raise kids.”

Jackson’s son, Bobby, said his dad doesn’t talk much about the historic photo — though all six of Jackson’s kids have a copy.

“He doesn’t bring it up to people, but he doesn’t have to,” said Bobby, a manager and distiller at the Black Bear.

Jackson — a race car enthusiast who counts the late automotive legend Carroll Shelby among his friends — said his life is a little slower-paced these days. But his kids say he’s as sharp as ever.

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“He still drives pretty fast,” said England, Jackson’s daughter. “And even though he loves ice cream and cookies, he’s still fit as a fiddle.”

“He still loves to tell stories,” Bobby said. “He cracks everyone up — including himself.”

The Pulitzer Prize winner may yet have a few more stories to tell, he said.

“I feel pretty good for 90,” Jackson said. “I wasn’t expecting to feel as good as I do at this age.”