By Sean Delaney
Happy 90th Birthday Lee Jackson.
Some people in our society wonder why communities are out of touch. Fortunately, there remain others that take community commitment and activism to a higher level. Jackson is a shining example for all. She is an Emery Village resident who helps make her community a better place to live.
She has lived in the same Emery Village home for 58 years and hosted a community barbecue for 20 of those years (outside of a one year COVID-19 hiatus) that she made free to attend.
Mother, teacher, nurse, and community activist, Jackson has never sat idly by.
A man who shared her street for years before moving away said on many snowy winter mornings, he would come out of his house to his car and leave for work at about 6 a.m. Much to his surprise, his car’s windshield would be cleared and scraped. It was a puzzle that took 30 years to solve.
Jackson retired from nursing and was initially bored with early mornings and staying at home. She thought to herself, wouldn’t it be nice if these cars were ready to hit the road as soon as owners wanted to head out for work?
“On snowy nights, I would set my alarm and have my coat, mitts, hat, boots, and snow brush ready to go.”
This free windshield service went on in secret for over a quarter-century.
Jackson simply isn’t one for the limelight, just a resident who loves her community.
Lee, the entire Emery community hopes your 90th birthday turns out just as special as you are.