Elaine Gradinger Crystal

Elaine Gradinger Crystal passed away on Thursday, November 1, 2012 after bravely battling ovarian cancer for nearly ten years. Elaine was born in Waterloo, Iowa in 1928. She attended college at the University of Iowa, where she, a beautiful coed, met "that boy from Mississippi," and fell in love with her late husband, the dashing and charming, Emanuel "Manny" Crystal. They married August 14, 1949 at the Drake Hotel in Chicago and then made their home in Jackson, Mississippi, Manny's hometown.

Elaine bore two children, her daughter, Lynn, in 1950 and her son, Clay, in 1953. While at home raising her young children, Elaine also supported Manny in the couple's enjoyment of an active social life in Jackson. Together and separately they cultivated many lifelong friendships with people from all walks of life both in the community at large and within Beth Israel Congregation where the family worshiped. Manny's family business interests took him abroad several times a year and Elaine insisted upon accompanying him as often as she could. As a result of the many trips they took both east and west, Elaine would recount the exciting and culturally enriching experiences they shared and interesting people they met. She and Manny loved to entertain their friends and family, who were often guests at cocktail and dinner parties, bridge and mahjong games, and neighborhood family get-togethers. An active couple, they loved to dance and socialize with others and were often seen out on the town dancing in their younger days, and attending community and social events in their later years. Destin, FL became the favorite family vacation spot, but there was also the annual family summer car trip to Iowa to visit Elaine's family. Family ties were very important to Elaine and Manny, and they took their children across the country from New York to California nurturing those lifelong relationships.

Elaine's love of people extended beyond her family and friends to the society at large. She was a consummate volunteer and visionary leader who brought her intelligence and tireless efforts to many worthwhile causes in both her religious and municipal community. Elaine's efforts toward this end were to strive to better the cultural, educational, and civic environment for those around her. Beth Israel Congregation, The Jackson Jewish Welfare Fund, and The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life are religiously affiliated organizations in which she and Manny participated as board members during their lifetimes.

Beginning with her involvement in the League of Women Voters, Elaine became concerned with many of the difficulties facing the Jackson community as a result of the changes brought about during and after the civil rights movement. During the upheaval brought by the desegregation of public schools in the 1960's, she co-founded Mississippians for Public Education, which focused on seeking to maintain a viable public school system for all students. In the late 1970's she became involved in the family's real estate business, during which time she became interested in the future development of downtown Jackson and in neighborhood preservation. Her activism led to her appointment as a member and later chairman of the City of Jackson Planning Board, positions she held for nearly a decade. She was a founding board member of the organization today known as Downtown Jackson Partners. Seeing Jackson evolve into a multi-cultural community, in her volunteer role with the Chamber of Commerce, she became a founding member of the board of Leadership Jackson, an organization committed to bringing together and developing positive relationships among young community leaders of all races.

Elaine also loved the arts and believed in their importance to a wholesome civic life for the community. She helped to spearhead the inception and growth of the Arts Alliance of Jackson/Hinds County and its annual festival, Jubilee Jam. She worked to make her beliefs a reality throughout her lifetime by volunteering to serve in many arts organizations including the Mississippi Museum of Art, Ballet Mississippi, the U.S.A. International Ballet Competition, and the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra.

Later she was invited to become a Millsaps College Trustee in 1994. In recognition of her extraordinary civic, educational and cultural leadership she was later honored with a Doctorate of Public Service from Millsaps in May 2012. This honor is an affirmation of the mark she has left on the lives of countless individuals and organizations fortunate enough to be touched by her. Elaine lived a life of courage and conviction and with the same zest for life she brought to Jackson in 1949.

Elaine was predeceased by her parents, Thelma Dorfman and Leo Gradinger; her stepfather, Leon Dorfman; her brother, Herb Dorfman; and her dear husband of 58 years, Manny. She is survived by, her children, Lynn and Clay; her daughter-in-law Deborah; and her grandsons, Benjamin and David Crystal. Also, by her brother, Dr. Gilbert Gradinger and his wife Sally; her brother-in-law Jerry Crystal; nieces Lori Gradinger, Jodi Wes, Paula Erlich and Shannon Crystal; and nephews Leo Gradinger, Jeff Gradinger and Bucky Crystal. The strong and loving comfort, care and companionship Elaine received toward the end of her life were made possible by her faithful caretakers who included Katherine Grant, Melissa Posley, and Yvette Sanders.

Funeral services will be held on Sunday, November 4, 2012 at Beth Israel Congregation, 5315 Old Canton Road, Jackson, Mississippi at 2:30 pm; visitation will begin at 1:00 pm. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to Beth Israel Congregation/Cemetery Fund, The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, or Millsaps College.