Magnolia B. Jackson, a local educator and matriarch, died over Memorial Day weekend at the age of 106.
Jackson was born March 14, 1918, to Thomas and Maria Bradley in Rochelle, and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1936, when it was an all-Black school. In 1944, she graduated from Bethune-Cookman College, now Bethune-Cookman University, in Daytona Beach with a bachelor’s degree in education.
Jackson spent over 40 years teaching school in Alachua County, starting at Alachua Elementary School, then moving to Hawthorne Elementary School after several years.
Jackson also served as principal of historically-Black Rochelle Elementary School until it closed in 1977.
Around the end of World War II, Magnolia Bradley married Johnnie Jackson. They were together until his death in 1995.
At the age of 106, Jackson was Gainesville’s oldest known resident, according to a social media post by the city. Each year, the city has celebrated her birthday with a special proclamation.
“We have been fortunate to call her one of our own,” the post says. “At her passing, we celebrate this life so exceptionally well lived.”
Jackson’s family also worked to make her birthdays special, trying to one-up themselves each year. This year, for Jackson’s 106th birthday, they took her to Disney World for the first time.