Former students fondly recall longtime Jackson principal

When people who knew him talk about Jim Nelson, they use words such as "local legend," "rock-solid citizen" and "iconic."

Nelson, who died Sunday at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau, was 95 and had retired in 1986 from a 23-year stint as principal of Jackson High School.

But his time away from the job did nothing to diminish the memories of those he helped educate.

John Thompson, president of The Bank of Missouri and a Jackson graduate, remembered Nelson as a fun, active figure who was always around and knew what to say when students got out of line.

One time, Thompson, who was the football team's quarterback and captain, was sent to the school office for pulling a prank. Instead of yelling at Thompson or assigning him some sort of punishment, Nelson approached the situation a different way.

"He simply said, 'What do you think Coach Webber would think of this matter?'" Thompson recalled.

So afraid his coach would "run me 'til I dropped," Thompson said, Nelson "never had any trouble out of me again."

Six years ago, Thompson found a 50-year-old "tadpole" card in his mailbox Nelson must have dug out of a box. The card signified Thompson, then age 5, had accomplished a swimming milestone at the city park, which Nelson would manage during the summers.

"He didn't forget a person, a thing or a name," said Kirk Williams, a middle-school teacher at Jackson's alternative school who also had Nelson as his principal in high school.

Williams said one of Nelson's most admirable and well-known qualities was the respect he showed students of every age by sitting them down and talking through issues calmly, treating them as adults.

"He was everybody's rock," Williams said, adding, "He was iconic. He probably invented the word 'iconic.'"

Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs, another JHS graduate, agreed Nelson's stature as a pillar was legendary.

"He always cared about all the kids," Hahs said. "He was just a very personable (man)."

Nelson, a World War II veteran, is credited with establishing the girls track and cross-country teams at the high school, as well as an annual scholarship and exchange-student program.

He also was a longtime member of American Legion Post 158 and served on the city's Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Adjustment.

In 1999 he received the R.A. Fulenwider Meritorious Community Service Award for his contributions to the community.

Nelson was quoted in a 1986 Southeast Missourian article as saying: "I wish I'd had the opportunities in high school that they have today. If you've got any get up and go, you can have it."

A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. today at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

ljones@semissourian.com

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