Jacqueline Coxe

Jacqueline Ramseur Jetton Coxe passed away after a lengthy illness on December 22nd, 2022. Jacque was preceded in death by her loving parents, Harvey and Else Jetton, by her husband of fifty years, William Eldred Coxe, and by her two brothers, Thomas Lawrence Jetton and Harvey Wilson Jetton of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Jacque was in the last class to graduate from Central High School. She attended both the University of North Carolina and Queens College. It was the years at Queens, however, that touched Jacque's life. At Queens, Jacque served as both secretary and president of the sizable Day Student Body. Jacque was named Vice President of the Junior Class, a member of the Honor Council, Alpha Kappa Gamma Leadership Fraternity, Dean's List, Who's Who Among College Students, and Jacque was elected Permanent President of the Class of 1955. At graduation, Jacque received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award given unanimously by the faculty to 'One known for her love of the college'. Jacque received the Outstanding Alumni Award in 2005.

After graduation from Queens, Jacque began her first teaching experience at the new Sedgefield Middle School. Dr. Dan Cagle met Jacque during her student teaching and asked her to join him at Sedgefield. In addition to teaching, Jacque's duties included the school newspaper, yearbook, and school testing. It was during the years at Sedgefield that Jacque met and married her beloved Bill in 1957. Their only child, David Robertson Coxe, was born in 1962. From the beginning, Bob was the joy of their life. Bob earned the pride of his parents; he was a Cum Laude graduate of Davidson College, a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine as a Justin Potter Scholar, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Bob survived his parents along with their precious granddaughter, Lindsey Nicole Coxe of California.

Jacque's first teaching experience in Atlanta was at Murphy High School. Black teachers and students greeted Jacque when she arrived in October of 1969. Two teachers left early, and word quickly went out "Mrs. Coxe was there to stay and teach". Jacque remained at Murphy for eight years and often spoke of the loyalty, friendship, and respect the students bestowed upon her. Worried that the students had few safe places to meet on weekends, she opened the gym for hundreds of students who danced and listened to music. Jacque also took pleasure in scheduling Atlanta's black leaders to speak at school assemblies. Mrs. Coretta King, Andrew Young, Maynard Jackson, and other members of the King Family spoke at Murphy and served as role models for Jacque's students. Jacque dared to teach the War Between the States by students reading Gone with the Wind. Students enjoyed role-play in class, trips to the Cyclorama and Oakland Cemetery. Jacque often spoke of the Murphy years as ones where she learned more than she taught. She left Murphy with a profound respect for black mothers who believed no task too difficult to support her children.

After leaving Murphy, Jacque taught at Ridgeview High School in Fulton County. Jacque's years at Ridgeview began a long and meaningful association with the Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. Jacque was chosen to write law-related material for students. And taught the first law class at Ridgeview with students participating in mock trials with discussions of landmark cases of the U.S. Supreme Court. Her classes regularly visited Fulton County Superior Court Judge Osgood Williams. Judge Williams used his staff to prepare students for meaningful visits and Ridgeview students acted as jurors for the students at Emory Law School. Jacque always spoke of these years with pride for the number of students who graduated from law school and reside in the courts of Atlanta today.

In late 1980, the Fulton County Board of Education closed several small schools. The school board planned for two museums to house the memorabilia from the closed schools. Dr. James Fox, the Superintendent, named Jacque as the best choice to open the museum in Roswell, Georgia. Jacque raised money through grants and in-kind gifts to renovate the school and create exhibits. The exhibits and programs were influenced by the teaching of Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard. Dr. Gardner's belief in participatory, hands-on learning became the basis for programs. Students had experiential learning in a Courtroom, Presidential Exhibit, Log Cabin, and a Decade of the 30's Room. The museum partnered with Georgia Ensemble Theatre to bring live productions to students. In 2006, Jacque realized she had not completed the exhibit she most wanted most for the students, The Attic of Anne Frank. She spent hours finding the perfect space and $40,000 required to build the exhibit. She also had to find artists with the vision to build the exhibit and an actress to play Anne Frank. After months of planning, The Attic of Anne Frank was finally complete, sadly, Jacque would not be there for the opening. She was at Vanderbilt recovering from open-heart surgery but grateful when the news of the opening reached her in Nashville. The Anne Frank exhibit has touched the lives of children for many years and Jacque always praised Lincoln and Mary Jane Stone for lending their outstanding gift to the project and Cathy Kaemmerlen for the love and talent she demonstrated portraying Anne Frank.

Jacque was always humbled and surprised by the many honors given to her and the museum. Jacque's legacy includes The Superintendent's Award 1990-1991, The Governor's Award in The Humanities 1994, Life Membership given by the North Fulton PTA Council and the Outstand Educator Award given by the Fulton County Commissioners in 2005, a Proclamation of the City of Roswell in 2005 and the Georgia Ensemble Theatre Award in 2006.

The doors at the museum closed in the summer of 2009. Jacque soon began the new phase of her career as a volunteer. She spent the next seven years volunteering for the Gifted Program of Pickens County, Georgia. Jacque also volunteered at Piedmont Mountainside Hospital and chaired efforts for hospital fundraising with the generous help of friends at Big Canoe. During the museum years and continuing after she moved to Big Canoe, Jacque devoted 27 years as part of the teaching staff of Senior Enriched Living of Roswell. She spoke fondly of the many loyal friends she made while teaching at SEL.

The final service for Jacque Coxe will be held on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 1 o’clock at Roswell Presbyterian Church Historic Sanctuary, 755 Mimosa Blvd., Roswell, GA 30075. A reception will follow the service at The Primrose Cottage.

In Lieu of flowers, you may wish to donate to one of the following organizations Jacque supported for years.

Wounded Warriors

855-448-3997

Saint Jude Hospital for Children

412-641-8977

International Fellowship of Christians and Jews-Holocaust Survivors

800-486-8844