By Jackie Nickel (The Essex Times, January 4th, 1996)
As many of you know, my mom, Marian McKew, died of lung cancer two days before Christmas, 1995. First, I want to thank everyone who visited the funeral home, sent flowers, cards, food, Mass cards and called to express sympathy. It’s such a tribute to her character to have so many express their love for her. My sons and I were deeply touched by your kindness as we were by her love. Special thanks to my pal at The Sun, Joe Nawrozki, for the beautifully written obituary. For those of you who missed it, I’d like to tell you a little bit about my mom.
Marian Sophia Nickel (she hated that middle name) was born on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 81 years ago. She was named appropriately after the Blessed Mother Mary. Although her mother modernized the name to Marian, her dad always called her Mary.
After losing her mom to pneumonia at the early age of 14, Marian became somewhat of a mother herself, caring for her younger brother Buddy and looking after her beloved dad, “Hon” Nickel, who owned the Gayety Theatre in the heyday of burlesque. She assumed so much responsibility early on that carried over throughout her life.
Marian, the daughter, took business courses at the Institute of Notre Dame so she could help run her father’s business. Marian, the sister, looked after Buddy until his death 25 years ago. Marian, the wife, was loving in her care in sickness and in health. Marian, the niece, cared for the aunt and uncle who helped raise her in their senior years.
But it wasn’t until she became a mother and grandmother herself that she got the chance to put all her nurturing spirit into action.
She gave birth to me, her only child, in 1942 and devoted herself to motherhood, with that unconditional love only a mother can know. Deprived so young of her own mother’s presence, Mom devoted herself to providing me with everything she missed out on after her own mother died, both physically and emotionally.
Education was the key to all success, she believed, and Mom made sure I got the best even when times were tough — sending me to prep school at Notre Dame of Maryland and to campus life at College Park.
Although she was a devoted mom, she surely outdid herself as a grandmother. With three grandsons presented to her in a five-and-a-half-year period, Mom truly got to practice her maternal expertise, becoming a substitute father in many instances as well. Scott, John and Mike stayed out of trouble, they say, only because they were afraid “Mom Mom” would find out. Once again, she stepped in to ensure her boys would be well educated, through parochial school, private high school and college. In later years, Mom began to reap the rewards of her efforts, seeing not only me, but also her grandsons develop successful careers. She was especially encouraging and proud when I made the move, in the midst of her illness, to The Essex Times.
With mom’s responsibility came strength. She carried her family and friends through many crises. Sustained by her faith, Marian lived by the words of the Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
She has imparted her strength on her family and friends, along with the courage and wisdom of that prayer. But more importantly Mom has at last reaped the reward of true serenity in the heavenly home she surely earned. She continues to look over all of us with a mother’s love, not only her daughter, grandsons, daughter-in-law, godchild and cousins, but her friends as well.
Her Women’s Club who affectionately called her “mother,” her closest friends, Jennie and Angela, her neighbors, who looked on her as the matriarch of the community, and her many other friends feel her loss but have gained her strength.
Mom promised me a year and a half ago when we learned she had cancer that she would not die until she knew I was strong enough to go on without her. But I and my children, our family and friends are not without her — Mom’s presence is more powerful than ever as she continues to watch over us, as alive and loving in our hearts as she was in our lives.
On Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006, Mrs. Mae Beck greeted over 100 guests at her 100th birthday party wearing a gold locket well over 100 years old. “My father gave it to my mother on their wedding day,” related the lovely lady of honor as she caressed the gold heart pendant worn on a gold chain around her neck.
Mae Beck blew out all 100 candles on her birthday cake at a celebration with family and friends on Nov. 26, 2006. (Photo by Jackie Nickel)
The heart was a fitting symbol for the centenary celebration which saw long-time friends and colleagues greet Mae at the pastel decorated hall of Back River United Methodist Church. Mae’s thick silver hair framed her smiling face as son Danny and daughter-in-law Joyce, who organized the party, stood by her side. Mae was a vision in rose wearing a two-piece lace suit tailored by her friend Marie Rogers.
A few days after the 100 candles were blown out and all the cards and gifts put away, Mae Beck took time to look back on her remarkable life.
Mae Velte’s father Charles was a farmer raising crops on 150- acres known as White House Farm at the head of Browns Cove as well as transporting the produce to market in Baltimore City. Trips up the oyster shell-paved Back River Neck Road were tiresome but exciting, by horse and buggy and later by Model T, traversing “land that was nothing but woods,” recalls Mae. You’d go past the Page property, which later became the maintenance area of Rocky Point Golf Club; next came Wildwood Beach where Mae’s father often delivered strawberries to a large home at the end of the road. Waiting on the veranda, which surrounded the home, was a petite woman whose home, Mae later found out, was a brothel – one with a very famous and frequent visitor.
A little farther up the Neck was Evergreen Lane with a home and land owned by Edward Nicholson, a gentleman farmer. Next were several large tracts surrounding what is now known as Diffendal or Airport Road owned by General George Brown, the son of Alexander Brown of the Baltimore financial firm Alex. Brown & Sons. The Browns spent summers at the house which in the winter served as a hunting (or “ducking”) lodge.
Traveling up the Back River peninsula, Mae and her brothers often visited blacksmith Frank Ruff who lived behind his shop at the corner of Back River Neck and Holly Neck roads. Pounding on a huge anvil, the “smithy” crafted horseshoes and wagon wheel rims. “We used to watch the iron glow red hot and the sparks would fly,” recalled Mae.
A big gum tree at the same location served as the mounting post for all the mailboxes of the neighborhood. Roy Norris was a deliveryman for what then was called the Rossville Post Office. The mailman traveled by horse and buggy to drop off letters at Back River Neck’s makeshift collection site.
The farmland surrounding what is now called Somogyi Lane was owned by the Schluderburg-Kurdles who owned Baltimore’s successful Esskay Meat Co. Mae remembers cows with bells around their necks feeding in the pasture there, while getting fattened up presumably for slaughter.
Several “colored” families lived in the area of the old schoolhouse, now known as Cheery Day Nursery, recalls Mae. The Smith brothers had a log cabin near the first Back River School and Uncle Cal Miles and his family lived close by the old Dvorak egg house. The Kirby family lived at the Holly Neck intersection while the Brown clan owned several parcels farther up the peninsula.
Aunt Levy Brown was a midwife who helped deliver many local babies. Since Ebersberger’s store at the intersection of Turkey Point and Back River Neck Rds. was the closest telephone, Mae’s brother Charles went there to call Dr. Mace when his brother Edward was about to be born. As Dr. Mace prepared to travel from Rossville (now theFranklin Square area) by horse and wagon, Charles went on to get Aunt Levy who got there in time to help with the delivery.
Mae’s mother, Mathilda, was a sickly woman despite bearing six children. And Mae, being the only daughter, held much of the responsibility of the day-to-day operations of the farm household. But throughout her six years of schooling and many years of cooking, cleaning and other chores, Mae took great delight in roaming the wilderness that was Back River Neck, one of the earliest developed peninsulas in BaltimoreCounty.
Past the Mattheu and Schenning farms, and next to Back River Church was a two-story house that once was owned by a fisherman named Hughes, recalls Mrs. Beck. Still standing and renovated, it is one of the oldest houses in the area. Then came Cape May with a picnic grove owned by the Shivers family and a little farther on, a swimming club for African Americans called Twin Pines.
While the Velte children traveled three miles each way to school from the lower end of the peninsula, their two teachers rode by electric rail one hour each way on a car line that originated at Baltimore and Holliday Sts. At Josenhans Corner they disembarked and were transported by horse and buggy to the school. A crowd often waited to board the car heading back into the city where they then would transfer to other locations.
Josenhans Corner housed a bar and general store as well as a hall where May sometimes attended dances and “socials” on Saturday evenings. One of her brothers would drive them in the family’s horse and buggy, guided by the light of kerosene lanterns mounted on the sides. While the horses were stabled on the lower floor of Academy Hall, which still stands at the site, the wooden dance floor echoed with the dancing feet of young men and ladies.
But back at the farm, there was plenty of work to be done before socializing. Mr. Velte sold produce at the Light St. wholesale market and brought home 200-lb. barrels of flour and sugar to last the winters. Mae remembers a huge snowstorm, which occurred on Feb. 22,
1922, that brought snow up past the farmhouse windows. The family huddled in with kerosene lanterns and woodstoves. Outside was the pump and outhouse, but the family was prepared with an inside commode. They had to thaw frozen water for the household and use planks to plow their way out. In the fall they lined the roads with cut saplings to make “corduroy” paths for better traction.
The Veltes killed, smoked and salted pigs each November to last through the harsh winters. They also had chickens, ducks, and guinea hens in the barn along with potatoes, carrots, turnips and red beets. Mae helped “put up” apples, peaches and strawberries. “It was nothing but hard work.”
Often there was sickness. Some of the home remedies Mae remembers for a bad cough were a swallow of goose grease or juniper tar mixed with sugar.
Winters were long, punctuated by few visitors. But the neighborhood received regular calls from a Jewish man named Mr. Silverman who came by every six weeks or so to purchase fur pelts. He carried a trunk on his back filled with clothing offered for trade. Mr. Silverman sometimes spent the night with neighbors while waiting for the muskrat trappers to return with their goods.
Mae and her brothers often traveled down Holly Neck or Turkey Point where Mae’s friend Mabel Daniels lived. Down Holly Neck Rd., Cedar Beach was one big tract owned by “the flour people,” the Ruhl family; the Shaefers had an apple crusher from which delicious cider flowed; Dan Homberg owned almost all the farmland on Holly Neck; and the Foehrkolbs owned Breezy Point bathing beach at the end of the road.
Summertime on the peninsula was like paradise with clean, clear water to swim and fish in. You could see the soft crabs on bottom and scoop them right out of the water by hand, says Mae. As the young girl grew into a beautiful young woman, she developed an even closer relationship with the river, becoming the wife of waterman and championship trap shooter Franklin Beck.
My friend Scott Huffines’ mom, Jackie Nickel, passed away on Friday, August 17, 2007 at the age of 65 after a 6-year battle with cancer. All of us expect death as part of the birth-school-work-death cycle, but it always comes too soon. Jackie’s was too soon.
Jackie was the coolest friend’s mom I knew. She worked, for one thing, which was unlike other moms. And she worked hard, leaving behind several books and a writing leacy at the Essex Avenue paper. What I liked best about her was that she was truly interesting. You didn’t just make awkward, polite small talk with her, as you did with other parents. You had real conversations, because she was fun to talk to. She knew everything about Essex and most things about Baltimore and Maryland. At parties at Scott’s, I didn’t just say Hi and Bye, but would seek her out to talk about the Essex Cube or Precious the Skateboarding Dog or the proposed Essex Raceway or the inside dirt of local politicians. She was on top of everything and she was sharp. Just like a reporter. Just like a writer.
And Jackie treated everybody the same, regardless of who they were or what their title was. Whether she was talking to John Waters (as pictured below) or a local councilman, a next door neighbor or one of Scott’s weirdo friends (and there were many!), you were just people to Jackie.
I recall Scott telling me how happy Jackie was when, after yet another chemo treatment at the hospital and yet another room change, she was allowed to use her laptop. She hated being cut off from it. She wanted to write. I love that image of her in the hospital still trying to produce output, to generate ideas. That’s the image I’ll recall of Mary J. Nickel.
She wrote a lot in her lifetime. Thank God we have that left to stay with us, to carry on the conversation, to leave us with food for thought.
*** Other Thoughts ***
Here’s the death notice from the August 19, 2007 Baltimore Sun:
NICKEL , Jackie On August 17, 2007 Jackie Nickel; devoted mother of Scott Huffines and his fiancé Kristin, John Huffines and his wife Carolyn, Michael Nickel and his wife Christina; dear grandmother of Thomas Nickel.
A Private Cremation was held. The family will receive friends at the family owned Bruzdzinski Funeral Home P.A. 1407 Old Eastern Avenue, Essex at Route 702 (beltway exit 36) on Wednesday from 5 to 9 pm. A memorial service will be held at 8:30 pm. The public is invited to attend the interment of cremains in Oak Lawn Cemetery on Thursday at 11 am. In lieu of flowers memorials in her name to The Chesapeake Bay Foundation or Saint Jude Shrine will be appreciated.
*** HER BOOKS ***
In 2002, Chesapeake Publishing Co. (parent company of The Avenue News) published Jackie’s Memories of ‘Old’ Middle River: A Loving Look Back at the Town and its People, a 48-page history of Middle River from the late 1800s to post-World War II. The book, which was adapted and expanded from a series first published in The Avenue, evolved from Jackie’s interest in neighborhood revitalization. As a civic activist involved with a number of community organizations, she hoped to preserve the memories of a neighborhood undergoing change. Jackie wrote:
To head in the right direction, we have to look back and see where we’ve been successful in the past. I find so much pride in the people of Essex and Middle River. They have never forgotten their contributions to the nation in times of war and peace. We must pass this pride on to our ancestors and future generations of residents, especially those new to the community.
Baltimore County’s Office of Community Conservation supplemented the book’s printing and design costs with a grant of $2,000. According to the Essex-Middle-White Marsh Chamber of Commerce, copies of the book will be included as a welcoming gift to new residents of WaterView, compliments of Mark Building Co. Memories of ‘Old’ Middle River is carried by the Enoch Pratt Free Library and the Baltimore County Public Library and originally was available these select stores: Martin Aviation Museum on Wilson Point Rd., Squirrel’s Nest Antiques at Eastern Blvd. and Mace Ave., Wallace Engine Co., 1801 Eastern Blvd., Harrison Beauty Salon, Harrison Blvd., Fantasy Glass, Pottery Farm Station, Back River Neck Rd., and at Greetings and Readings. It’s also probably available at the Motion Picture Exhibition in Baltimore. Headley wrote: “Great job on the Middle River book! That’s the way books about neighborhoods should be.” That’s high praise coming from Robert Headley!
***
On April 16, 2007, Arcadia Publishing published Jackie’s defining work, Essex as part of its Images of America series.
Arcadia described the book as follows:
“Advertised in a 1909 sales brochure as “The Rising Suburb of the East,” Essex, Maryland, has seen its fate and fortune rise and fall and rise again. The town enjoyed its early reputation as a haven for city dwellers with picnic groves, hunting and fishing clubs, dance halls, and waterfront amusement parks. The boom continued with new jobs and prosperity until the 1950s, when a fire destroyed much of the town’s main street. Economic decay set in as a result of the loss of industry and an influx of low-income housing. Several attempts at redevelopment and legislation failed, resulting in the residents’ distrust of government intervention. Finally a county-backed Renaissance project was established in 2002, bringing Essex a new epithet: “The Hidden Gem of Baltimore County.”
Here’s Jackie’s Arcadia bio:
Jackie Nickel has documented stories about her hometown of Essex as a community newspaper editor, reporter, and freelance writer for almost 30 years. A civic activist, officer, and board member of several community organizations, she has forged a deep commitment to the town and a love for the people and places she writes about. Nickel believes that the retelling of Essex’s difficult past will serve to cement community pride and define its future.
Above is a great shot of Jackie promoting her book as she stands amid the doll display at the Heritage Society of Essex and Middle River Museum. (Sun photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor / May 8, 2007)
*** CELEB MEMORIALS ***
Not many moms get their books picked by Baltimore film icon John Waters, but Jackie did, as evidenced by this piece in this Baltimore Sun from May 13, 2007 enitled “John Waters, Filmmaker: Five Things I Have To Have Now“:
4. Essex By Jackie Nickel ($19.99, The Ivy Bookshop, 6080 Falls Road): “Finally, a real bookshop in Baltimore! Here’s an amazing book about Essex. It has great pictures of the old movie theaters, like the Elektra, pictures of the Thunderbird Drive-In, my favorite hangout for 1950s juvenile delinquents.”
***
Essex is also home to the Bengies Drive-In, whose owner D. Edward Vogel posted the following farewell to the Baltimore Sun’s online “Guest Book for Jackie Nickel“:
Dear Jackie,
You are as much a part of the history of this area as all that you included in your work. You are a good friend to me, and a true believer in the Bengies. Thank you for all your inspiration and insight. Now that you are among the stars, I will keep an eye out for you, please keep an eye on us. All My Love! D. Edward
D. also put up the following memorial to Jackie on the Bengies’ marquee:
*** BALTIMORE SUN OBIT ***
Here’s Frederick Rasmussen’s obit in the Baltimore Sun (August 21, 2007):
[Age 65] The author and former editor was a longtime advocate for Essex, its history and east-side land preservation
By Frederick N. Rasmussen
Sun reporter
August 21, 2007
Mary Jacqueline “Jackie” Nickel, an eastern Baltimore County activist, author and former newspaper editor, died Friday of cancer at Manor Care Health Services in Rossville. The lifelong Essex resident was 65.
Born Mary Jacqueline Moore in Baltimore, she moved as a child with her family to Essex, where she spent the rest of her life.
In the 1990s, she had her name legally changed to Nickel, which had been the last name of her maternal grandfather, John H. “Hon” Nickel, who had owned the Gayety Theater, the famous East Baltimore Street burlesque house.
After graduating from Notre Dame Preparatory School in 1960, she earned a teaching certificate from the University of Maryland, College Park.
“She taught at Back River Elementary School and Our Lady of Mount Carmel parochial school,” said a son, Mike Nickel of Catonsville. In the 1970s, Ms. Nickel left teaching and went to work as a reporter for The Avenue News, an Essex weekly, and later was promoted to editor.
She left the paper in the mid-1990s and returned in 2000 when she began writing “Around the Avenue,” a weekly column on the editorial page.
“She was an Essex icon and an advocate for the community, environment and history,” said Jean A. Flanagan, who is the newspaper’s current managing editor, and who was given her first newspaper job there by Ms. Nickel.
“She wanted to preserve both the environment and our local history. She also wanted people in Essex to take pride in where they came from and for new people moving to the community to know where that pride came from,” Ms. Flanagan said.
“Her column was down-to-earth and she would say things that people only thought. She went after the bad guys and promoted the good guys,” she said. “She’d help people who called with complaints about barking dogs or kids running in the street. She’d tell them who to call.”
She added: “Her shoes will be very hard to fill.”
Carole L. Ledley, a longtime friend, recalled Ms. Nickel’s work in land preservation battles.
“She did pretty much the entire Back River Neck Peninsula and pretty much devoted the last 25 years of her life to land preservation,” she said. “She was particularly interested in rural legacy and was instrumental in reducing the number of houses on Turkey Point, where I live.”
Mrs. Ledley praised her as being “so knowledgeable” and a person who “wasn’t afraid to stand up” for what she thought was right.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do now. We’ve just lost the backbone of our community,” she said.
Ms. Nickel lived in a Rockaway Beach Avenue home that her grandfather Nickel acquired in 1916.
In 2002, Ms. Nickel published Memories of ‘Old’ Middle River: A Loving Look Back at the Town and its People. The photo-history chronicled the community that in the early 1900s, “before marketing consultants, marina studies and development incentives,” she wrote, was a waterfront destination for Baltimoreans fleeing the heat of the city for the cool waters of Middle River.
In addition to collecting memories from old-timers of life in Aero Acres and Mars Estates during World War II, for instance, she also used the book to call for the creation of the Middle River Historical District.
In a closing essay, she asked, how could World War II-era Middle River with its many extant buildings that were designed by such well-known architects as Albert Kahn and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, relate to “dramatic events in the history of our country.”
“The solution involves carefully identifying the most basic elements of wartime Middle River design. The curving streets and cul-de-sacs are still all in place. Many of the houses still have low gables, paired or picture windows, small porches and other original features,” she wrote.
This year, Arcadia Publishing published Essex, as part of its “Images of America” series. The book contains nearly 200 photographs, many from a personal collection she spent years acquiring, and others from local residents and historical societies.
“I’ve never in my life felt so appreciated for anything I’ve ever done,” she told The Sun, speaking of an April book signing, when at least a 100 people arrived at the Essex-Middle River Heritage Society.
“People standing in line meet each other, and, if they have any connection to Essex, they find a common thread of conversation. It’s brought a tremendous sense of family,” she said.
“Essex is going to miss her. She was an obsessive booster for Essex when no one else was,” filmmaker John Waters said yesterday. “I loved the Essex book. In fact, it’s one of my favorite books of the year.”
In response to a “Five Things I Have to Have Now” column published in The Sun in May, Mr. Waters said, “Here’s an amazing book on Essex. It has great pictures of the old movie theaters, like the Elektra, pictures of the Thunderbird Drive-In, my favorite hangout for 1950s juvenile delinquents.”
“She was so devoted to and selfless in her love to the people of Essex and preserving the Essex legacy – its land and its people,” her son said. “She cherished her readers so much. I cannot begin to imagine how strongly my mother’s absence from Essex and Baltimore County’s east side will be felt.”
She was a communicant of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church.
Her husband of 10 years, Roland Dimeler, died in 1997. An earlier marriage to Carroll Huffines ended in divorce.
A memorial service will be held at 8:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Bruzdzinski Funeral Home, 1407 Old Eastern Ave.
Also surviving are two other sons, Scott Huffines and John Huffines, both of Essex; and a grandson.
Essex, Md. (Map, News) – The Essex activists needed 24,000 signatures to save the homes of 300 Essex residents. The task seemed daunting.
But it was Jackie Nickel’s calm, approachable manner that soothed even those homeowners affected by the condemnation legislation and persuaded more than 44,000 to sign the petition to defeat it.
It was that dedication to community that defined Nickel, 65, who died Friday after a six-year battle with cancer, friends and family said.
“With Jackie, it was always about Essex, it was always about Baltimore County, or it was always about her neighborhood,” said Brad Wallace, an Essex business owner whose home was saved when voters overturned Senate Bill 509 in 2000.
A longtime columnist for a local weekly, The Avenue News, Nickel’s enthusiasm for local politics extended beyond the pages — she was an active member of at least five civic associations, according to her three sons’ count.
Her book, “Essex: Images of America,” was released in April by Arcadia Publishing — more than 25 years after she decided to document the town’s colorful story from picnic groves and waterfront amusements to economic decay and back.
About 100 people attended a book signing, where it was Nickel’s turn to be interviewed.
She told an Associated Press reporter that fans in line shared Essex stories, the type of community spirit that County Councilman Joe Bartenfelder said Nickel relished.
“She took pride in her heritage, living in east Baltimore County and in the waterfront,” Bartenfelder said.
“I am proud to call her a friend and a supporter,” he said.
The public is invited to attend the interment at Oak Lawn Cemetery at 11 a.m. Thursday.
*** DUNDALK EAGLE TRIBUTE ***
And here’s Dundalk Eagle writer Marge Neal’s shout out to Jackie from her August 23, 2007 “Talk of the Town” column:
Our sister community to the north, Essex, lost a true friend, advocate and journalist Friday with the death of native daughter and longtime Avenue News columnist Jackie Nickel.
Even though I’ve read her words for what seems to be most of my adult life, I met Jackie in person only once, a couple of years ago at Dundalk’s Relay for Life.
It struck me as funny that she was just as excited to meet me as I was her, because she apparently read my work as avidly as I read hers.
But that behavior shouldn’t have surprised me, because it was obvious, through Jackie’s prolific writing, that she thrived on meeting people and cultivating friendships of many levels and intensities.
She stood up for her beloved community and fought against issues — like development — that she thought would tear the very fabric of her hometown.
Her voice may be silenced, but her message will be heard and her passion will be felt for many years to come.
In but a tiny gesture, I offer my condolences to her family members, many friends and colleagues.
*** AVENUE NEWS TRIBUTE ***
And finally, here’s a remembrance of Jackie from the paper she wrote for, both as an editor and freelance columnist, The Avenue News:
Jackie Nickel succumbed to complications from cancer treatment on Friday, Aug. 17, 2007. She was 65 years old.
It is impossible to put into words the impact Jackie had on her family, friends and the community in which she lived. At the very least, Jackie will be long remembered as a staunch supporter of preserving the natural environment and chronicling local history.
Her activities on behalf of the community included serving as past president and board member of the Essex-Middle River Civic Council, board member of the Essex-Middle River Renaissance Corporation, board member of the Back River Neck Peninsula Community Association, member of the Rockaway Beach Improvement Association and board member of the now defunct Essex Development Corporation and Essex Revitalization and Community Corporation.
She supported the formation of the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area legislation and was its unrelenting watchdog on the lower Back River Neck peninsula. She was involved in the formation of the first Back River Neck Peninsula Community Plan and was on the committee in the process of updating it.
In 2000, she was instrumental of the defeat of the controversial SB-509, state legislation that would permit eminent domain for development in Baltimore County. She worked tirelessly behind the scenes, gathering signatures for the petition that brought the measure to the ballot.
Jackie also served as a liaison between the community and developers on many projects. Her goal was always to advocate for the least amount of adverse impact on the existing community and to protect the fragile Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, coastline and wetlands.
Elected officials on the state, local and federal level often requested Jackie’s counsel to gauge the climate in the community. She was a lightning rod for questions, concerns and opinions from the community. She attended every community input meeting she could, and often instigated them.
Jackie was also a popular local journalist, a profession she began in the 1970s, after raising a family and teaching elementary school. Jackie began working part-time at The Avenue News shortly after its debut in 1974. She eventually worked her way up to Editor, a position she held until 1995.
In 1995, she left The Avenue News to take the Editor’s position at The Essex Times. She remained there until 2000, when she returned to The Avenue News as a freelance reporter and columnist. Her weekly column, Around The Avenue, brought her both applause and distain.
In recent years, Jackie’s passion was the preservation of local history. Researching old newspaper reports, conducting hundreds of oral history interviews and copying thousands of historical photographs, Jackie contributed to or created three publications.
In 1999, the 90th Anniversary of Essex, Jackie contributed extensively to a publication called “A History of Essex.” The Essex Revitalization and Community Corporation published the book. In the preface, Jackie wrote, “In history there is pride and in Essex there is much history and so much of which to be proud.”
In 2002, Jackie self-published “The History Of Middle River: A loving look back at the town and it’s people.” She sold the books for $5 each, often donating the funds to local organizations serving the less fortunate. In the acknowledgements, she wrote, “For many years I waited for others to record our history. Just a few community-focused booklets grace our local library shelves and larger volumes simply skim the surface.
“The prospect of revitalizing Eastern Baltimore County sparked me into action – revitalization, after all, means new life, not wiping something out and starting over. Our proud older citizens want to save some of the past yet be part of the new plan.”
In 2006, she completed “Images of America – Essex” an Arcadia Publication, 130-page chronicle of more than 200 photographs and maps. It tells the story of the place, the community and the people that are Essex. It was her proudest accomplishment. She had begun a whirlwind of book-signings and history talks. Born and raised in Essex, she wanted her neighbors to feel the pride she felt about the origins of our community.
People brought her more stories and more photographs. A display of unknown photographs usually accompanied her book signings. “Do you remember who that is?” she would ask anyone who stopped to look. Her intention was to publish another book.
Jackie’s first priority and a constant source of pride were her three children. Her oldest son Scott Huffines, and his fiancé Kristen, lived nearby. Her middle son, John Huffines and his wife, Carolyn were very near and dear to her heart. Jackie’s youngest son, Michael Nickel and his wife, Christina were often her traveling companions, most recently visiting the mountains of West Virginia and the Jersey shore.
Jackie’s grandson, Thomas, was a constant source of pleasure for her. Ever mindful of the impact her mother had on her three children, Jackie was determined to be the best “Mom-Mom” she could be to Thomas. She was prepared, at the drop of a hat, to accept an invitation to baby-sit and looked forward to holiday gatherings with a special zeal.
Whether she was ferrying elderly neighbors to the polls on Election Day or coaxing native flowers to bloom in her yard, Jackie will always be remembered as a strong-willed, vocal advocate for the Essex community. She will be sorely missed.
*** SIGNS OF THE TIMES ***
Thanks to Mike Nickel and Scott Huffines for posting these pics.
The Commodore Inn Says Farewell to a Friend
Rockaway Beach: Jackie’s Home, Sweet Home
Jackie at the Turkey Point Swim Club
THE BEAT GOES ON (Jackie News Updates)
The tributes and honors continue to amass for Jackie. This year Kevin McDonough, a student at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Elementary School, was selected as one of only 28winners in Fox 45’s “Champions of Courage” essay contest for an essay honoring Jackie Nickel. His essay was selected from more than 5,000 entries from 87 middle and high schools in Maryland. See full story: “Mt. Carmel student selected as Fox 45 ‘Champions of Courage’ essay winner.”
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY HONORS JACKIE NICKEL
(Jackie News Update, May 2008)
The American Cancer Society’s signature event is its annual Relay for Life fundraising event, which “enables people to celebrate those celebrate those who have survived cancer, remember those we’ve lost, and fight back against a disease that touches too many lives.” The 2008 Relay For Life of Essex, which is being held May 9-10 at the CCBC-Essex Campus, is “dedicated to Jackie Nickel, who lost her battle with cancer last year.” The American Cancer Society even created a Jackie Nickel Honoree Page to pay homage to “this great woman and how she impacted the Essex community.”
The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life Honoree Page introduces Jackie as follows:
Each year, the Relay For Life of Essex honors someone in the community that has recently battled cancer. The honoree may be a survivor or may be someone who lost their battle too soon. The 2008 honoree is Ms. Jackie Nickel, longtime Essex resident, author and activist. We would like to take this time to celebrate Ms. Nickel’s life and acknowledge her courage in her fight against cancer.
It’s a great write-up and yet another testimonial to the life of Jackie, who continues to live on through the memories of her loved ones and to fight for just causes like the ACS’ Relay for Life, even from beyond the grave via her legacy.
MEMORIAL PLAQUE HONORS JACKIE NICKEL
(Jackie News Update, July 28, 2010)
This just in from the East County Times courtesy of Scott Huffines…
PLAQUE DEDICATED IN JACKIE NICKEL’S HONOR
(Jackie News Update, August 10, 2010)
This just in from Scott Huffines – another Jackie Nickel plaque update from the Avenue News.
Thomas Nickel, grandson of the late Avenue News columnist, editor and reporter Jackie Nickel, is pictured with a plaque in Jackie’s honor which was dedicated on what would have been Jackie’s 68th birthday on July 28. (Photo by Anna Renault)
Plaque dedicated in Jackie Nickel’s honor
By Anna Renault
The name Jackie Nickel still rings bells of fond memories, political fights, and controversial editorials for many ‘Avenue News’ readers and tugs at the hearts of family, friends, former co-workers, and neighbors.
Remembering Jackie Nickel is a daunting task. The woman was simply amazing. She was sweet, kind, and caring. Jackie loved helping others, researching history, as well as being a community activist. If she thought something was wrong, she set about trying to ensure it was corrected. In the case of community development, sometimes this meant stopping something from happening before harm was done.
On July 28, Jackie would have been 68 years young. Unfortunately she went to her heavenly reward three years ago. However, she is still fondly remembered by so many whose lives she touched. Many of those who remember, especially her Turkey Point/Rockaway Beach neighbors, attended a plaque dedication ceremony in Jackie’s honor on this anniversary of her birth.
“This is something we’ve wanted to do since we lost Jackie,” stated Kim Goodwin, President of the Rockaway Beach Improvement Association (RBIA). “She did so much for us, she deserves this and more.”
Many of the local residents agreed. Goodwin welcomed everyone to the ceremony and read a beautiful poem expressing the love and loss felt by those in attendance.
Denise Woatila, Secretary – RBIA, also spoke of Jackie’s impact on the community as well as on herself. As a relatively new Essex/Middle River resident, Woatila quickly learned much of the area’s history and the importance of having pride in one’s heritage as a result of her friendship with Jackie. She pointed out how much more she learned about her dear friend after reading an online blog by Tom Warner. She said, “Just Google Jackie Nickel and you’ll get a long list of sites telling you all about her.”
Kevin McDonough, local resident and high school student at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, also spoke of the impact Jackie Nickel had on his young life. He explained how he chose Jackie as the subject of a “Champion of Courage” essay he wrote due to her neighborliness, friendship, wisdom, and her love of history. Jackie’s influence on McDonough’s life has led to his willingness to be an active member of his community, taking pride in his community and environment. He credits her inspiration with encouraging him to always be willing to give back.
Jackie’s family, including her beloved grandson Thomas Nickel along with his parents Michael and Christina Nickel were in attendance along with Jackie’s oldest son, Scott Huffines and his partner, Kristen. Thomas did the honors of hanging the plaque onto the Rockaway Beach sign at the corner of Turkey Point Road and Rockaway Beach Road. It was noted that Kim Maigetter painted the plaque and her husband Brennan installed the hardware necessary to hang it.
Michael Nickel thanked all who attended and shared the family’s appreciation for the love and honor that is continuously expressed by so many for their mother, Jackie Nickel. They are grateful that her legacy continues to shine through those who continue to advocate for those things that Jackie held so dear – the community, the environment, and the pride in knowing one’s history.
For those who are new to the area and didn’t know Jackie, just ask around. You’ll hear lots of stories. Briefly, she was proud that her maternal grandfather owned the Gayety Theater in East Baltimore. She was a wife, mother of three, and grandmother of one. She was a teacher at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and Back River Elementary School. She was editor to both ‘The Avenue News’ and ‘The Essex Times.’ In her semi-retirement she returned to The Avenue News as a weekly editorial columnist and freelance reporter. In 1999, she published “A History of Essex” to honor the 90th Anniversary of Essex. In 2002, with the help of Chesapeake Publishing (The Avenue News’ parent company) and a grant from Baltimore County’s Office of Community Conservation, Jackie published her book, “Memories of Old Middle River.” In April 2007, just a few months before her death, she published her dream book, “Essex,” a pictorial history of the area published by Arcadia Publishers as part of their ‘Images of America’ series. She was an environmentalist, a community leader and activist. Her shoes are too big to be filled!
Marian Sophia Nickel (she hated that middle name) was born on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 81 years ago. She was named appropriately after the Blessed Mother Mary. Although her mother modernized the name to Marian, her dad always called her Mary.
