August 10 marks the day of birth of seasoned journalist and author Dot Jackson (formerly Dot Robertson), who passed on December 11, 2016. More than a fellow journalist, she was also a friend.

I first met her when I was a student at Clemson, when my journalism professor asked her to come speak to our class, as she had many years of experience as a journalist. We reconnected when I became a newspaper Editor (at The Pickens Sentinel), and I came to know her well, and our friendship continued until her passing. She was always encouraging to me in my writing, and I was blessed by her friendship. I will always remember her as a kind and encouraging person.

She was also good friends with my late grandmother. The last time I saw Dot, at the end of October, 2016, when I visited with her just before she moved to North Carolina, to live with her daughter, Dot told me that she missed my grandmother, who had passed three years earlier. The last time I saw Dot was the day of the book and author fair, held at Pickens Presbyterian Church’s All Saint’s Hall. Dot was unable to attend, as she was in poor health and was in a nursing facility in Pickens, so I went to visit her. I had sat with her at previous book and author fairs, and we had a great time selling our books and talking with each other. Dot was a founder of the Birchwood Center for Art and Folklife and was very supportive of local writers, including starting the book and author fair, which was originally held at Table Rock State Park.

We also had a mutual love for McKinney Chapel. The 2016 Christmas pageant held at McKinney Chapel was dedicated to Dot’s memory.

The day after Christmas, 2016, a rainy day, Dot’s ashes were interred in the cemetery of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Walhalla, following a celebration of her life.

Dot once told me that just about everybody in Pickens County is probably related, if you go back far enough. Afterward, I discovered that she and I had some of the same ancestors, way back. I’m proud to call her a distant cousin as well as a friend.

She will always be remembered fondly.