Legacy: Our Jackson Home Vol 7., Issue 2

LEGACY VOL. 7, ISSUE 2 | JUNE-SEPT 2021

EDITOR’S NOTE

This August, Jackson-Madison County began to celebrate 200 years since its founding, and for the next year, there will be events commemorating the many facets of our city and county's history. I’m aware that my 12 years of life in Jackson are only a small part in that history, but I’m grateful for the people in this issue who have spanned almost a century of our community’s history, including our print sponsor Jackson Energy Authority, who have reached a milestone 150 years of providing service to our area.

As I was wrapping this issue up, I found myself sitting in the hospital with my grandfather as he recovered from a collapsed lung. He's a retired sports and outdoors writer for The Tennessean, with a great love of fishing. As we sat in that room and talked, he told me about how he learned to fish from his father, and how he’d go fishing every day after school even when a football injury left him in a cast. There were still stories I hadn’t heard, and I could have stayed to listen to them forever. These stories are the threads I carry back to Jackson, woven into the stories of strangers in these pages.

In talking about his work as a craftsman, a friend of mine recently said that “our stories are so much more important than anything we produce,” and I think it sums up the common thread throughout this issue. Our legacy is really about our story, and our stories are the threads that weave our community together. We're writing them, yes, with our successes and accomplishments, but also with the simplicity of our friendships and our small joys. They are stories, when seen and heard and woven together, create a fuller and more beautiful tapestry than when we're looking at our own fragmented threads.

C O U R T N E Y S E A R C Y, E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F

THE JOURNAL

A publication of Our Jackson Home Vol. 7, Issue 2: Legacy Brought to you by theCO | www.attheco.com

editorial board

contributors

EDI TOR-I N-CHI EF DESI GNER

F E AT U RE D WRI T E RS

Quinton Atwater December Rain Hansen Trista Havner Lauren Kirk Byron Mays Brooks Shaw Kristi Woody

Courtney Searcy COPY EDI TOR

Olivia Chin

contact

FEAT U RE D P H OTOGRAP H E RS

Trunetta Atwater Cari Griffith December Rain Hansen Kristi Woody Courtney Searcy

WEBSI TE & BLOG

ourjacksonhome.com PHONE & EMAI L

731.554.5555 courtney@attheco.com ADDRESS

541 Wiley Parker Road Jackson, TN 38301

POLI CY

Our Jackson Home: The Journal is a volunteer-created publication of Our Jackson Home brought to you by theCO and published three times a year.

Our Jackson Home seeks to celebrate the people and the stories of the city we all love: Jackson, Tennessee. Perspectives are the opinions of their creators, not Our Jackson Home or theCO. All rights reserved.

contents 2 | E DITO R S NOTE

Common Threads Courtney Searcy 6 | E SSAY

A Father's Legacy Brooks Shaw

11 | IN VTE RVI EW

Ronald Atwater: Laying a Foundation Quinton Atwater 15 | STO RY

Developed Downtown December Rain Hansen 2 2 | STO RY

A Century of Friendship Byron Mays 31 | E SSAY

Legacy: An Origin Story Lauren Kirk

4 0 | HUB C I TY HUSTLER

Living a Legacy Trista Havner

50 | SP O N S OR SPOTLI GHT

Let There Be Light Jackson Energy Authority 52 | STO RY

Tacos, Tacos, Takos Kristi Woody

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PHOTO BY AD ELS BE RGER M A R KE TI N G

A FATHER'S LEGACY

BY BROOKS S HAW

Legacy seems to be a common thing we seek to define after someone has passed away. We look to be inspired on how to improve ourselves, our families, and our communities.

We try to sift through a life and determine what traits, stories, and accomplishments made this person special, successful, and significant.

Certainly, a handful of people achieve so much notoriety that we go through this process while they are alive, leading to the next bestselling how-to book or biography. But all too often we are left searching for the words to say, the deeds to remember, after that person is gone.

When I was first asked to write about my dad Clark Shaw’s legacy for Our Jackson Home, my immediate answer was no. It was only thanks to the convincing of my wife Megan and the vision of editor Courtney Searcy that I said yes. Even then, I pondered for weeks on what to write. How was I supposed to sift through 30 years of personal experiences and another 35

years of his life before me for a single article?

It would be simple to write about the Old Country Store and Casey Jones Village, what they mean to our community and the countless visitors who have been restored, in food and in spirit, with us. I could pull up hundreds of examples of interviews, op-eds, features, and press releases in local, regional, national, and international media. I could discuss the boards and organizations he served on, like the National Restaurant Association, Tennessee Restaurant Association, Tennessee Tourism Roundtable, the Rotary Club. I could say that Dad played golf with governors when he wasn’t even that good at golf, which if you didn't know, really means something.

Don't get me wrong, those are certainly a part of his legacy, perhaps the most public parts, but they don’t tell the full story. Dad’s legacy manifests itself, for me, in the small moments.

I think of it as character, what we do

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when no one is watching.

His legacy is in the decisions he made to hire second chance employees who have seen and done terrible things in their past but are trying to make themselves better; it’s in their tears the night he passed away. His legacy is to reinvest in a business that belongs to God instead of lining his own pockets.

His legacy is preaching that it’s so much more than a restaurant; it’s a ministry.

Dad’s legacy is measured in the warmth he shared with people. Some of them were brief encounters where that person left with a sense of “something’s different about Clark.” Others are complete strangers to Megan and me who come up to us with the common refrain, “you don’t know me, but I have a story to tell you about Clark.”

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Those stories never fail to amaze and encourage us. Then there are 50-year friends like John and Bruce from North Side High School, who loved him so much they help mentor me in guiding the family business. Friendships that span a half-century are rare indeed.

For me personally, Dad’s legacy is seeing my contact in his phonebook.

Dad and I had a wonderful relationship, but like any father/son business venture, we had our differences, too.

After he passed, one night I was going through his contacts. When I came to my name, I froze. Every time one of us would call the other, under my name would pop up the line “My son I am proud of.” I cried.

After all the times we butted heads,

disagreed on the course of business action, and occasionally hurt each other, he would always love me. It’s the phrase he would often use for me when I was little, something he picked up from his dad and the story of Jesus’s baptism in Matthew chapter 3. It’s an example of how I should treat Megan, Grace Anne, my family, my team, my community, and my fellow man.

This brings me to the real legacy that Clark Shaw left behind: Christ’s love. It’s that simple, he would tell you now if he could. Christ’s love directed every decision, every thought, every fiber of Dad’s being that he would want remembered. He didn't focus

on the worldly legacy; he focused on pointing others to an eternal legacy.

Dad would tell you that every person in the world has the opportunity to leave a similar legacy; no matter who you are, what you have done, or if you think you are past the point of no return. Clark knew that there is a God who loves you so much that He died for you. We believe he’s with God in Heaven right now. He knows his family will go to see them one day when we pass. He knows you can go too.

And if you didn't agree with him, he just loved you anyway.

I love you, Dad. I’ll see you soon.

Dad’s legacy manifests itself, for me, in the small moments. I think of it as character, what we do when no one is watching.

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Helping you find your home in the city we all love

Ready to make a move?

Call me at 731-571-3260 or 668-7000 katiehale@tcrjackson.com Instagram and Facebook: @katiehalerealtor

the

KATIE HALE TEAM

Ronald Atwater

Laying a Foundation PHOTOS BY TR UN ET TA AT WAT ER

VOL. 7, ISSUE 1: JACKSON GROWN • 11

Life will map the legacy we will leave and before we know it, we’ll be looking back on how the decisions we’ve made laid the foundation for future generations.

In this interview between father and son, Quinton Atwater interviews his father Ronald Atwater, discussing how concrete finishing became the birthright to the Atwater legacy of entrepreneurship.

What were your plans after high school?

I graduated from East High School in 1966 and did well while I was there.

Afterwards I started at Lane College. The initial plan was to graduate and attend medical school to become a doctor. I pursued the college path for about three years until 1970, when I was drafted to serve our country in the Vietnam War for the United States Army.

Was it scary being drafted into the Army?

I was twenty-one years old at the time.

Nah, It wasn’t scary at all. I was drafted to stay for two years, but I volunteered to stay for three.

When you signed up for three years you could take courses and tests to help qualify for jobs so that you didn't have to fight on the front line.

How did the Army change your college plans?

I was stationed in Germany for a few years. It really broadened my horizons and helped me see the world in a bigger picture.

But after two years over there, I was ready to come home. I signed up for a job that I knew they weren’t doing in Vietnam in order to get far away from there. So, I made eyeglasses.

What was your job/rank in the Army?

Towards the end I was in the chemical unit warfare area. We would assess areas and predict which ones were contaminated and report to our commanders to determine the next plan of action.

I retired as a Sergeant 1st Class/E7.

How did serving prepare you for entrepreneurship?

When I came home, I re-enrolled at Lane college and finished my degree in biology.

I was used to having money in my pocket, so going to work immediately was important. I wasn’t ready for four more years of school.

How did you stay focused on your goals after returning from the Army?

Life kicked in, and I had family to take care of. I grew up finishing concrete with my father, and I found employment with Tennessee Valley Authority. I was able to hone my skills while I was there. When that assignment was over, I returned home and started working for local finishers in the area.

My father taught me a skill that would put money in my pocket. After a short period of time, I found that I cared more about the jobs I was leading than the people I was working for. I had the skills, the talent, and the drive to do this work for myself. However, I still had a family to provide for. It was difficult for me because when I began to contemplate starting my own concrete contracting company, the Jackson Fire Department called offering me a job. It just turned out that the JFD schedule offered enough time off that I would still be able to start my own concrete contracting company, Atwater Concrete Works.

How was life as a businessman?

I started contracting my own work.

I was always shooting for perfection. I did good honest business. As a result, the business grew. I never had to advertise. As my career as a firefighter progressed, so did my business.

I took on enough work that I was able to VOL . 6 , I SS U E 2: H OME & GARDE N • 1 2

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partner with family members (who were also concrete finishers) to get work completed while I was working at the fire department. Over the years, I saw business grow. I was able to obtain steady contractors. I saw my business grow into something sustainable, while keeping a job that provided my family with a sense of security and provided a retirement for my later years.

What advice would you give other entrepreneurs?

When giving advice to entrepreneurs, I always caution them to weigh the risk. I was able to build a lucrative business, while maintaining a full time job. I have continued to finish concrete well into my retirement, and I am thankful for the skills I learned as a child from my father, James C. Atwater, who was also a concrete finisher. He would always tell

me, “if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right and worth doing good every time.” I applied that to everything.

How do you feel seeing your children and grandchildren growing to find their way in their careers and entrepreneurship?

When the kids were going to JCM, I would tell them all the time, “I don’t want you to do this for a living, but you definitely need to know how to do it.” I wanted them to have a skill to fall back on.

Four generations of concrete finishing and entrepreneurship is pretty cool. What makes you the most proud about the thought of leaving such a good legacy?

I’m very proud because having a skill to

V O L . 7 , I S S U E 2: L E G A C Y • 1 3

fall back on was the legacy I was trying to leave, ‘cause that’s what my father done. It’s one of those things that I know they will never forget how to do.

You retired from the Jackson Fire Department as Battalion Chief, correct?

Yes.

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How long did you work for JFD? Twenty-four years ago and ten months to be exact.

What are you doing in retirement?

Concrete. Concrete changed my life. I love it. I just got finished with a job a little while ago.

One more thing: perseverance is what paid off for me.

Who ya gonna call?

DEVELOPED DOWNTOWN

BY GREG D. HAMMOND

Mitch Carter and the Moore Studio Heritage STORY & P HOTOS BY D ECEMBER RA I N HA N SEN

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If you've spent any time in downtown Jackson, or had a drink at The Downtown Tavern, you’re probably familiar with Moore Studio — and more importantly, Mr. Carter. I first met Mitch Carter when I had just moved to West Tennessee. I was young and impressionable and Mr. Carter most definitely made an impression on me. He could charm the venom out of a copperhead, entice the stoic to giggle and cut up, and make the most trepidatious about having photos done

feel presidential when he was finished making their portrait.

Born to sharecroppers, and the middle child of six, he had to work hard from a young age both in the fields and in the colosseum of sibling birth order, plagued by middle child syndrome.

It was that competitive spirit that led him to the darkroom, by chance.

14-year-old Mitch Carter was ready for a job. Not the jobs on the farm that he was used to, but a job like the one his brother had — at V O L . 7 , I S S U E 2: L E G A C Y • 1 7

the grocery. Mitch got dressed one and eventual predecessor, Mr. Dooley. morning, at the break of dawn, to catch “He said, ‘if you'll hire Mitch the milkman. In rural Murfreesboro, Carter, he'll be the best employee you that was a person’s only chance to catch got. I'll pay the difference if he doesn’t a ride into town. When he arrived at deliver.’ So he gave me a chance; the grocer, he was turned down. So he decided to give me a chance. he went to another, and again, all the So, I caught a Greyhound bus from positions were filled. Before he could Murfreesboro, and came to Jackson. I figure out what to do next, the man got off the bus and Mr. Dooley met me, brightened up with a suggestion. “My and I stayed in the YMCA building for son, he’s a photographer. He needs about two weeks.” help in the darkroom.

While young Mitch Get in my car and I’ll was relieved to see what He said, ‘if take you over there right a big place Jackson, you'll hire now.” Mitch Carter Tennessee was, it Mitch Carter, was difficult being so didn’t quite know what that “the darkroom” he'll be the best far away from home. meant, or where he was employee you Yet he persevered, his going, but he agreed. words echoing in got. I'll pay the dad's A job is a job by the back of his mind: difference if he “He’ll be cryin’ and all accounts and he was doesn’t deliver.’ be right back home.” ready to work. The man So he gave me Had his daddy not and his son led Mitch down to the basement said those things and a chance; he where the darkroom was, decided to give Mitch hadn’t heard and Mitch surveyed the — “He probably me a chance. them space. “I got down there. would've been right.”

So, I caught It was air conditioned, Mr. Carter laughs. “I a Greyhound really think God wanted never been in an air bus from conditioned building in me to do it.” my whole life. Water was Many hot summer Murfreesboro, running, because in the afternoons I sat up with and came to dark room you had to Mr. Carter in the lobby Jackson. have it, and Johnny Cash of the infamous Moore was singing on the radio.

Studio. He was so proud Mitch said, “Are you really going to of what he had built and was eager to pay me to stay in here?” Mitch would instill his hope and knowledge into the continue working there all through high new generation of photographers like school, splitting his day between classes myself. I remember feeling so restless and the studio, learning the art of the and frustrated during that time in my darkroom, lighting, and portraiture. life, and Mr. Carter would impress “Portraits are made,” he insists. “Not upon me the importance of what taken, not shot.” we do. We talked about the art of Two weeks after he graduated, a portrait making but, more importantly, deal was constructed between his boss life and love: “Why do you think you and who would become his new boss were born? If you don’t have a legacy

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VOL. 7, ISSUE 1: JACKSON GROWN • 19

where’d you come from? What did you do? We always have the best camera, the best lighting, everything — or we don’t come and do it. That's your obligation that you owe them. What I photograph is important. That’s what legacy is.”

He’d ask me why I photographed each person the way I did, and showed me — much to my chagrin — how I could have done it better.

More importantly though, he always encouraged me, and pushed me to become better, not for myself, but for those I served. For Mr. Carter, “It's a blessing, to do what we do, and I am one of the most blessed people on earth.”

Being sought out to document the good times, the sad times, and every event in between is what has fed Mr. Carter's soul over the course of his career: “We’ve always done schools, schools from Kentucky to Mississippi river to river. You get up Monday morning to go and photograph the schools. Then every Friday night photograph a wedding, then two or three weddings on Saturday morning and one on Sunday. So there was never any downtime, never.”

Whether it was photographing the Miss Tennessee pageants for 47 years (all of which you can see displayed at the Civic Center) weddings, anniversaries, senior photos, or someone's last chance to have family portraits done, Moore Studio was there: “When people would call me and say ‘Mr. Carter, my house burned

down last night and I had to choose what to save [of my material items], I saved my photographs.’ I know in my heart, my photography matters.”

Moore Studio was founded in 1903 by Robert A. Moore. Mr. Carter is the third in the line of historical owners and started his career here in 1959 with Mr. Dooley. In 2021, Mr. Carter is still a presence and familiar fixture at the studio, working hard to preserve the history of downtown Jackson and share that richness with its residents. It is currently owned by Jason Hartig, who is diligently carrying the torch on and providing portraits that breathe new life into the colorful legacy of the studio.

One of my favorite things to do all those years ago, when I would spend time with Mr. Carter in between clients, was to go upstairs to the archive room and let him show me filing cabinets full of glass negatives, huge printed canvases, and albums spanning the entire history of the studio. When I went up there again (for the first time in many years) this past July, I sensed some worry from Mr. Carter. Worry that this history will be forgotten or lost. When we got up there, certain images were already laid out and ready, ones I personally had never seen before. The NED was going through them for an exhibition.

This exhibition will start September 3rd, 2021, and goes until October 28th, 2021. The Jackson Photo Club is sponsoring the show, honoring Mr. Carter for his 50+ years of service

We always have the best camera, the best lighting, everything — or we don’t come and do it. That's your obligation that you owe them. What I photograph is important. That’s what legacy is.

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to the community. It is a specially curated collection including celebrities, musicians, politicians, judges, attorneys and brides from the 50s and 60s. As I pour over the sepia-toned faces, I am overcome with a sense of sonder, “the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.” Suddenly, the weight of the Moore Studio Legacy is palpable. I am not worried, though. When I think

of the scale of the impact Mr. Carter and the Moore Studio has made on me personally, I think of all the others who also feel the importance within their own hearts as well.

Beyond the physical heritage of a capsule studio and a photographic portfolio spanning 117 years, the legacy of warmth and joy that is Mitch Carter will live on as long as there is a Downtown Jackson, Tennessee.

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A Century

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ofFriendship

BY BYRON MAYS PHOTOS BY CARI GRIFFITH

VOL. 7, ISSUE 1: JACKSON GROWN • 23

Margaret Savage and Helen Porter’s friendship has withstood the test of time.

Margaret (97) and Helen (98) met when they were in the 1st Grade, which would have made the year approximately 1928. They have been friends for over 90 years! They met on the playground of South Jackson Elementary School.

Margaret was new to the school and Helen invited Margaret to play with her. “We have been together ever since,” Margaret said.

South Jackson School was located on Tanyard & Church Streets in an old Jackson community called “South Town.”

It was a historic African-American community, filled with businesses, homes, schools, and churches — nearly all of which were demolished and paved over in the late 1960s by a project labeled “Urban Renewal.” South Town existed where the Criminal Justice Complex and South Highland Avenue are now.

Helen and Margaret graduated Merry High School together in 1941. Helen went on to a fruitful career in the public school system as a cafeteria worker and crossing guard.

Margaret graduated from Lane College in 1945 and spent 40

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Helen Porter

V O L . 7 , I S S U E 2: L E G A C Y • 2 5

Margaret Savage

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plus years as a public school teacher, spending most of her career at the now closed Washington-Douglass Elementary School. For a number of years, Margaret and Helen worked together at WashingtonDouglass, Helen as a crossing guard and Margaret as a teacher. “It was a wonderful place to work. We had wonderful children there,” Helen recounts.

Margaret and her husband, Isaiah Savage, opened a once popular restaurant, Savage’s Grill, after he returned from service in World War II. Helen often worked with and helped Mr. Savage at the restaurant. Helen’s husband, Otis Porter, was charged with servicing and collecting the money from the vending machines at Savage’s Grill.

“Our husbands were friends too,” said Margaret. Mr. Savage was also deeply involved in politics. Helen

would cook and cater meals for his many political events.

They have been best friends and have supported one another throughout all that nearly 100 years of life inevitably brings— the joys and the sorrows. Together they have experienced the many joys of life: weddings, raising children, anniversaries, graduations, birthdays, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, and now great-great grandchildren. They have also been each other’s source of strength and solace through the many sorrows of life— the loss of parents and most of their friends. Both of their husbands died on the same day, one year apart. Mr. Porter died March 10, 1980. Mr. Savage died March 10, 1981.

“I don’t know what I would do without Margaret,” said Helen.

“And I don’t know what I would

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do without Helen,” responded Margaret.

Not many days pass by without Helen and Margaret talking on the phone. Helen spends most of her Sundays and all of the holidays at Margaret’s house, which she and her husband purchased in 1968 as a result of Urban Renewal. Both are members of Historic First Baptist Church, where Margaret began playing the piano as a teenager and Helen sang in the choir.

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Helen Porter and Margaret Savage are a lesson of love, commitment, and longevity.

Throughout their almost 100 years of living and all that they have witnessed and endured, they have been by each other’s side — celebrating, comforting, supporting, laughing, cooking, mourning, and worshipping together. And they have no plans on stopping anytime soon.

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YOUR NEIGHBOR SINCE 1977

AN ORIGIN STORY

BY LAUREN KIRK PHOTOS BY COURTNEY SEARCY

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When we arrive for lunch, Virginia Conger has already set three places at the table with a brilliant white linen tablecloth, and she quickly scrambles to create a fourth place set for the extra guest I’ve brought along with me. She mentions that during Bob’s career she never knew if he would be bringing one person or ten people to dinner each night, and how glad she is for the company these days.

While many know her as the wife of late Mayor Bob Conger, and grandmother of current Mayor Scott Conger, she is also my neighbor. The one with the infamous rum cake that she

frequently donates to ComeUnity Cafe (she kindly shared the recipe with us, though good luck replicating it exactly). The one who can commiserate with my stories of municipal management, and who never withholds kindness nor the truth from me.

We spend the afternoon enraptured by her stories of growing up on a farm just outside the town of Toone, meeting Bob and navigating political life, years of teaching school, community service, and raising a family. We end the visit with a tour of their home that was custom built in the 1950s and expanded in the 1960s,

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the only space Bob ever designed Growing up poor, tending to her using his architecture degree. She family farm, learning the value of gives us the origin stories of various work ethic and responsibility. I’m pieces throughout her pristine shocked by the emotion this elicits home, including a secretary cabinet in me, that a woman with such an that crossed the Cumberland Gap impressive life over 91 years views in the 1800s and the origin of a legacy much more simply than hole in a bedroom door from her what we’ve been taught it means. children’s rambunctious days that That legacy is more than what is she refused to let the painter fix, listed on your resume, or how many insisting that even 50 associates you keep. years later, it’s still Legacy is more It is the character you their responsibility. build over time, and than what is It’s almost as if we’re listed on your having pride in your traveling through her story, especially your resume, or own personal time humble origins. how many capsule, with the I’m mostly struck associates collection perfectly by how I see myself in you keep. It is her words, both of us preserved yet still the character poor country girls with expanding; a story you build over ambition. While I’ve behind every framed time, and photo, ceramic mug, spent my life trying to having pride and even the vibrant escape that place and in your story, person, she’s spent her carpet colors still especially covering the floors of life growing from those her children’s former your humble roots, never forgetting bedrooms. who she is or where she origins.

When I ask came from. Legacy, a her about her legacy, I expect small farm in Toone. a typical answer related to her She sends us home with role as Jackson’s First Lady, her handmade blankets and muffins, many years of community service insisting that we visit again soon. as an educator, volunteer, and What she doesn’t realize she’s parishioner, or being the matriarch sent us home with is invaluable of her family. What I don’t expect is perspective. A gentle reminder a return to her origins instead. That to focus less on accomplishing a to her, legacy is not about all that legacy and more on becoming one, she or her family has accomplished, starting with our roots. but instead where she started.

V O L . 7 , I S S U E 2: L E G A C Y • 35

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Rum Cake 1 package of butter cake mix Wearing long sleeves in the summer fields 1 small vanilla instant puddin Memphis bound, but home on the weekends 4 eggs A year of silence, paid tuition ½ cup oil An English degree, and political ambitions Mandarin orange juice (½ cup) A year in Tulsa, 300 days on the road ½ cup rum First Lady, grandmother, caretaker, surrogate mother 1 small can mandarin oranges Nearly 60 years in the same home 1 cup chopped pecans Legacy, another story told.

V O L . 7 , I S S U E 2: L E G A C Y • 37

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downtown jackson's coffee shop theLOCAL

202 WEST LAFAYETTE

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How Juanita Jones and Keep My Hood Good are Transforming the Community

B Y T R I S TA H AV N E R P H O T O S B Y T R U N E T TA AT W AT E R

I try to make a habit of meeting one new person every month. After I got married and decided to stay in Jackson despite my longing to go anywhere and do anything but stay in my hometown, a wise mentor gifted me with this advice: meet someone new from Jackson every month. She reminded me that there were still so many corners of my city that I did not fully know or understand, and opening myself up to the opportunity of a new relationship each month could satisfy my longing for newness and for adventure. She even argued that if I made myself vulnerable to new people and listened to their stories, I might actually discover things about myself previously unknown. I received her advice and, as a young twenty-something who did not need to be told how to live, I put those good words on the shelf.

It has only been in the last few years that I have learned that her

wisdom was profound, and I did not need to waste any more time.

She was not wrong. Meeting new people, listening to their stories and entering into their spaces, has changed me. It has made me softer, and I have been captivated many times over by stories. But this month, the woman I was honored to meet dazzled me. I asked questions and sat in awe of the woman across from me. I hung on her every word and with good reason. This woman is, perhaps, the most interesting person I have ever met.

When I set up an interview with Juanita Jones, I had never met her in person. We had a very brief conversation over the phone and I had seen her from afar at a few events, but I had never actually spoken to her face-to-face. I had been keeping up with the work she was doing, but I did not know her.

So when I pulled up to Keep My Hood Good, I had no idea who

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to expect. Would she be open and area to play basketball and grill. receptive to my probing questions? There was also a space for students Would she even want to tell her to receive counsel and a clothes story? All of those fears were closet. Everything was tidy and alleviated the moment she opened orderly and I followed her in utter the door and let me in. Her warmth amazement around the various and hospitality immediately put rooms she has so thoughtfully and me at ease, and I felt strangely carefully constructed. Juanita has comfortable with her. not only created a space for children When you walk in the door of to come and be known and cared the Keep My Hood Good building, for, she has created a home. As we you are greeted with a wall covered sat down to talk about what led her in framed photographs of smiling to this moment, all of the interview children. I had only gotten a few questions I had prepared did not steps in the building feel like they could before she was telling There had to hold the magnitude me stories of students this place and her be fifty photos of who had overcome story. on that wall and succeeded.

Let’s be clear — and she knew Keep My Hood Good She beamed as she each one by told me about how is incredible. What name and one student had Juanita has managed could tell each to create, almost graduated high school story. and chosen to enlist completely on her own, in the military and is remarkable. I would was thriving. She told of another be remiss if I did not highlight Keep student who was preparing to train My Hood Good and Juanita’s work, for the police academy and one but she is not her work. She is so young boy who showed skills as an much more than the immeasurable entrepreneur. There had to be fifty tasks she is somehow able to do in photos on that wall and she knew a day or a week or a month. She is each one by name and could tell dazzling. each story.

Juanita says she was born I followed her around the in El Paso, Texas, was raised in building as she showed me McKenzie, Tennessee, but grew designated areas for structured up in Oceanside, California. Her classes and meetings, a lounge father was a retired Army veteran area to play board games and and she was raised with a familial cards and chess, comfortable chairs support system that instilled in her where students can hone their the values of respect for oneself reading skills, computers to work and for others. Her grandmother on college and job applications, was a respected matriarch in the a weight room and an outdoor community and guided her (and the 42 • O U R J A C K S O N H O M E

other children in her community) with discipline and care. Overall, Juanita described that her family taught her that love for God, others and oneself were paramount to being at peace. She grew up as a shy introvert who preferred to be alone and outdoors than with her peers.

She fished and climbed and rode dirt bikes and craved adventure and longed to experience freedom.

In fact, she longed to travel to

California and bump into Tupac, who she adored. She said despite being shy, she learned that she had a voice and she needed to speak. She needed to experience everything she could.

Juanita was part of the high school band in McKenzie, Tennessee, and was a majorette who was highly skilled in baton twirling. And that talent earned her a scholarship to the University

V O L . 7 , I S S U E 2: L E G A C Y • 43

of Tennessee at Martin to twirl the baton with their band. She twirled everything, even fire. She was on track to graduate and was only a few hours short when she enlisted in the army, eventually settling on the Marine Corps. She enlisted for six years and was afforded the opportunity to travel, which she so desperately longed to do.

She moved from the Carolinas to Hawaii to California (where she, 44 • O U R J A C K S O N H O M E

sadly, did not meet Tupac). At the end of her enlistment period, she returned to McKenzie and became a firefighter before eventually settling into an office job that brought her to Jackson, where she managed a branch and worked in other offices for nearly eight years.

But an office could not hold the interest of a woman like Juanita. Her curiosity and zest for adventure could not be contained,

so in 2006 she decided it was time students transportation to and from to do something new. She founded the program. Finally, in 2017, Keep a transportation business, Jay and My Hood Good moved into their Jai, to transport children to and current location. But honestly, if from daycares. This transportation you have been in the building, you service would be the catalyst for would never know that this is a new Keep My Hood Good. location. It feels comfortable and The process of gaining permits warm and like a home. And that to drive a bus to transport children is intentional, as is most everything was not an easy one, and Juanita Juanita does. She set the program faced opposition at every turn. up to give children a chance to learn But, true to her form, every “no” skills and self-discipline, to give was a motivator to press on and in. them a place to belong and receive She earned the certifications and and extend love for themselves permits to do her work and to their peers. and began to build Through structure She set the bridges with the people and guidance, she program up to in her community who hopes to create a give children needed her services. framework for success a chance to She picked children has the power to learn skills and that up from laundromats break generational self-discipline, poverty and propel and apartments and to give them a these students into transported them to place to belong opportunities the daycares in East for Jackson. Juanita was and receive and lifelong growth. She always observing, extend love for has chosen hard work. always listening, themselves and The work of change always assessing. to their peers. is always tough and She realized that the often thankless, but greatest need in the community was Juanita keeps showing up to do that a place for older children to have a work. community, a family of people who After hearing the story of Keep believed in their success and loved My Hood Good, I just assumed that them. there was a large team of people In 2014, Juanita turned what doing the daily work to keep the was a bi-weekly meeting in Lincoln program running. I assumed wrong.

Courts into a full-time program. Juanita transports the kids. Juanita Keep My Hood Good began oversees the daily meetings. Juanita meeting at the YMCA prior to its counsels with the children when they closing, and then in T.R. White need one-on-one guidance. Juanita Sportsplex during the school year. even does all of the paperwork that The program ran from 3-6 in the a non-profit depends on to continue afternoons and summers, providing serving the community. She is the VOL . 6 , ISS U E 2: H OME & GARDE N • 45 V O L . 7 , I S S U E 2: L E G A C Y • 45

backbone of the program. She is difference. This is not a weak “love the hands and feet of the program. yourself and others” performative She does have a board and people offering, but it is a true legacy that who help her along the way, but can and will change actual people if she is the constant. Whatever it is maintained. Juanita hopes that legacy is left, whatever precedent the work of Keep My Hood Good that Keep My Hood Good sets for spans racial and generational and the community, that is the work of socio-economic disparities because Juanita Jones. love has the power to The legacy The legacy that do that. the program that the program is As we were is creating is a wrapping up our time creating is a living, breathing entity all its living, breathing together (and I really own. She is teaching entity all its own. could have stayed and the children to show respect, to listened to Juanita tell stories all love themselves and then to love afternoon), I asked her what she their community. That is a simple hoped her personal legacy would yet profound agent of change be. I wanted to know what she that could course through our city hoped to accomplish, what she with tenacity and really make a wanted people to remember about

46 • O U R J A C K S O N H O M E

her specifically. She really struggled to answer that question and I wasn’t surprised. She has fully committed herself to others and, when people are engaged in such consuming and selfless work, they often cannot articulate their own needs and desires. She is the eye of a storm she has created. A big, swirling, beautiful storm. She is the safe space in the middle of the chaos, and the demands of the work she has committed to are spinning around her and she cannot see past the wall of to-dos and paperwork.

She cannot envision the legacy she is creating. But I can. I can see her from above and all around, and the storm that she has created is going to keep swirling and drawing

in the people of this community. This beautiful, powerful, unstoppable storm is Juanita’s legacy. It is alive and here and is changing people’s lives. She has created something, born from her tenacious spirit, that is wild itself. Refusing to be denied, pressing into her neighborhood and our city at large, offering safety but beckoning us all to enter into the storm of personal growth that will lead to communal change.

That is the legacy Juanita Jones has impressed on her community and now on me, and we will not be the same.

Learn more about Keep My Hood Good at keepmyhoodgood.org.

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Let There Be Light: The 150th Anniversary of Jackson’s Gas Utility As Madison County and Jackson celebrate their Bicentennials, the Jackson Energy Authority celebrates Jackson’s Utility Sesquicentennial — the 150th Anniversary of Gas Utility Service.

Today, those gathered for AMP concerts downtown share the very same site that started utilities in Jackson, and most have no idea.

In 1871, coke, a form of coal brought by railroad into Jackson, was burned in ovens at a plant at Union and West Alley. The gas generated from the burning coal was stored in above-ground tanks. In the evening, with the gas spread underground through wooden pipes, lamplighters would light the street lamps and illuminate this key portion of downtown Jackson.

That gas system, beginning June 28, 1871, marked Jackson’s move into a new phase of community. A City water system followed in the 1880s.

Then the private Citizens Gas Light Company enhanced street lighting with a generator and a system of electric lights (1887). In the next decade Jackson added a health motivated sewer system. With that combination of private and public companies, Jackson entered the 20th Century with full utility services.

Those services changed life in previously unanticipated ways. Gas for street lights expanded to home lights, replacing candles and coal oil lamps. Customers also expanded life convenience using gas for heating 50 • O U R J A C K S O N H O M E

That gas system, beginning June 28, 1871, marked Jackson’s move into a new phase of community. and cooking, replacing wood stoves.

Electricity saw similar appliance adaptations and a major Jackson service, trolleys and streetcars. The water system expanded fire protection and the development of Jackson’s Fire Department.

The 20th century brought totally unexpected changes in lifestyles, commercial and industrial development. Jackson’s utilities constantly changed with the times, enabling Jackson to successfully grow and meet the century’s challenges.

Jackson eventually combined its utilities into one company, Jackson Utility Division. Then at century’s end, recognizing the need for advanced communication capability, JUD became JEA, building Tennessee’s first fiber-to-the-home Internet system.

Today JEA recognizes that Jackson’s utility origin, expansion and customer service culture came through its gas system.

Natural gas is an efficient, environmentally clean energy source for home comfort and industrial capacity. From the warmth and serenity of a gas log fireplace to blast furnaces for steel production, Jackson’s Gas System continues to serve and propel our city.

Natural gas is also an increasingly prime and plentiful source for electric generation across America. Natural gas continues to enhance and change our lives.

Happy 150th Anniversary to the service that brought light to Jackson!

An excellent summary of Jackson’s Utility History is the book, “Here For You: A History of Jackson Utility Division” by Mary S. Reed

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52 • O U R J A C K S O N H O M E

TACOS, TACOS, TAKOS STORY & PHOTOS BY KRISTI WOODY

There are plenty of Mexican restaurants around Jackson, but one stands out among the crowd: Takos Borukas. This taco truck turned dine-in restaurant has built a loyal following in town with a personable owner and authentic menu.

Juan Zarate’s interest in food service began during his teenage years working at taco stands in Mexico. When he moved to the States as a young adult, he jumped right into working at a local Mexican restaurant and continued on that path until 2016, when he finally took the plunge into running his own business. During his time at other restaurants in Jackson, he dreamed of having his own restaurant and offering the authentic Mexican flavors that he remembered from childhood.

Without the funds to immediately open a restaurant, he tried opening a food truck, which presented the difficulty of finding a place to park. His luck changed when Wes Harris offered to let him park at his State Farm office and sell during the office’s closed hours.

This partnership opened the door for Takos Borukas to begin building its loyal following of taco lovers.

Unfortunately, at the beginning of 2017, less than a year after opening, the Takos Borukas food truck was completely destroyed in an accident. Juan could have easily let this discourage him from running his business, but he rallied and got his business back up and running after about a month break. After a couple of years in the parking lot, Juan was finally ready to open his

V O L . 7 , I S S U E 2: L E G A C Y • 53

54 • O U R J A C K S O N H O M E

dine-in restaurant. He had some setbacks, but in June of 2019, he opened the doors in Millenium Plaza on Vann Drive, which just so happens to be the same strip where he parked his truck during those first years. As we all know, spring of 2020 dealt a major blow to restaurants all over the world, including Takos Borukas, with the pandemic. After an extended closure, they were able to open up for carry-out, then got back to dinein soon after. They’ve been one of the lucky establishments to bounce back after a very tough year, and there’s no doubt that’s due to Juan’s determination and hard work!

Takos Borukas offers all the Mexican staples that are familiar,

but with a few more unusual meat options, such as lingua and tripa.

Juan is also passionate about making his food very flavorful, and you can absolutely tell a difference when you dine there. At the very basic level, even the rice and beans are bursting with flavor. Juan claims his rice is the best rice in town, and he is not lying!

While having dinner at Takos Borukas, you might see Juan running food out and chatting with customers with a smile on his face.

It’s very clear that he loves what he does, and even his 9-year-old son picks up on that passion. He’s already told his dad he wants to join the family business when he grows up.

V O L . 7 , I S S U E 2: L E G A C Y • 5 5

Grab some pals and join us for a workshop!

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Contributors IN THIS ISSUE

T R U N E T TA AT W AT E R Founder of Fancy, Trunetta is a photographer, coach, and truthteller. She specializes in challenging entrepreneurs to bring their creative ideas to life through photos. Her philosophy is to empower creatives to be fearless in their businesses, to be real with their audiences, and to maximize opportunities to promote their products and services. She believes creative businesses thrive as a tribe and it's her passion to lead entrepreneurs to their full potential through expressive photography.

Q U I N T O N AT W AT E R , 3rd Generation Concrete finisher at Atwater Concrete Works, is a son, husband, father, and manufacturing worker. He enjoys the simplicity of being creative with concrete.

EDWARD BYRON ELAM is a New Jersey native, who returned to his Jackson, Tennessee roots in 2014. He is a Union University

58 • O U R J A C K S O N H O M E

graduate. His loves include politics, social justice, genealogy and his son, Edward Langston Elam.

DECEMBER RAIN H A N S E N was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska but has made West Tennessee her home for the last 8 years. She is a photographer and writer who looks for ways to push her own boundaries within her work and seeks to question the world around her.

C A R I G R I F F I T H is a gardener and a photographer with a lifelong affection for seed sowing and storytelling. She lives a very sweet life in midtown with her husband Rob and elderly rescue pup, Deaton, who doesn’t have any teeth and can’t hear a thing, but he’s really quite cute. She spends most of her time behind a computer or a camera, and her most treasured moments are eating dinner with her friends both near and far.

T R I S T A H A V N E R is a born and raised Jackson girl, a mom, wife, and small business owner. She and her husband, Charlie, have a charming local family business and are passionate about the history there. Trista can be found putting together frames in her family’s shop or lettering anything that will hold still. Her love for home grows daily, and she is passionate about being an agent of growth and positive change in her beloved Hub City.

B R O O K S S H A W is the General Manager of his family owned business, the Old Country Store in Casey Jones Village. He is a avid reader and enjoys traveling with his wife and daughter, Megan and Grace Anne. The Shaw family loves trying new restaurants and foods, and Brooks is always looking for exciting ways to bring better hospitality to the Old Country Store and Casey Jones Village.

L A U R E N K I R K is a proud member of the Neighbors Club, place-maker for the City of Jackson, and co-owner of Turntable Coffee Counter with her husband Anthony.

When she's not sipping coffee or running the city, she enjoys walking her dogs, Jack and Marley, through Midtown, writing poetry, or getting lost in a novel from Light Trap Books.

K R I S T I W O O D Y is a photographer and storyteller.

She also works as the university photographer for Union University and owns her own wedding photography business, Woody & Pearl Photography. In her free time, Kristi enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter and rambunctious beagle, Rhett, Liliana and Chipper respectively. If you can't find Kristi in Jackson, you'll find her in her second favorite place: Disney World!

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A Legacy of Service At Jackson Energy Authority, service is more than just a word to describe what we do, it’s our culture. Whether it’s delivering high quality utility services, providing excellent service to our customers or participating in community service, our principles and values remain constant. From a utility service that began hundreds of years ago to today and beyond, service is and will continue to be the one thing you can count on.

422.7500 www.jaxenergy.com E L EC T R IC I T Y | G AS | WATER | WA S T EWATER C ABL E TV | HI GH SP E E D I N TE RN E T | T EL EP H O N E Jackson Energy Authority is an equal opportunity employer