Jackson reflects on 33-year career in VZC Courthouse

During a retirement reception for Kathy Jackson held Dec. 12, Van Zandt County Judge Don Kirkpatrick remarked that if you need to know anything about the VZC Courthouse, she would be the person to go to first.

After 33 years working in a number of different roles in the courthouse, Jackson entered retirement effective Dec. 31, 2018.

Jackson, 62, was born in Dallas and raised in Lufkin. After graduating from North Mesquite High School in 1974, Jackson worked for an insurance company in downtown Dallas for approximately five years.

She then got married and moved to Myrtle Springs in the Wills Point ISD in the early 1980’s and has lived in VZC ever since.

“When I first moved to VZC, I worked as a waitress for a couple of years,” recalled Jackson. “I volunteered working for the county for a year before I was hired. My husband worked for Tommy’s Garage and Tommy’s wife was working for the sheriff’s office at that time. I decided to go to the sheriff’s office and apply after visiting with her.”

Her first full-time job in the VZC Courthouse began on July 1, 1985, where she worked for the sheriff’s department as a dispatcher.

Jackson discussed the different challenges that she faced working as a dispatcher. “The job was different when I started compared to today,” said Jackson. “We did not have road numbers back then and you had to rely on descriptions of roads. I felt confident about doing the job once I learned how to do the job. When I volunteered, I watched and I felt like I was ready to jump into it. An opening came up when I was volunteering and I applied and got the full-time job. Travis Shafer was the sheriff at that time. I also worked under Pat Jordan when he was sheriff.”