Friday, September 21st, 2007...4:08 pm
Melodee Jackson
Jump to Comments
Melodee Jackson, the woman who served as executive director of the Arizona Democratic party for most of the 1980’s and 90’s, has died.
I occasionally had my differences with her, and there were other times that she stuck up for me. She served the party well, and believed a great deal doing right by the people of our state.
One memory of her humor I have is watching her gleefully count the money from a raffle held at a state committee meeting that occurred just after AZScam broke. She looked up at us with the wad of money in one hand and a cigarrette in the other and said, “I feel just like Sue Laybe.”
17 Comments
September 21st, 2007 at 4:24 pm
She was a woman that always lifted you up.
Melodee always took that extra step to help others. She was a beautiful woman inside and out, and I am very very very lucky to have had her in my life.
September 21st, 2007 at 4:44 pm
We were just talking about her the other day during a bylaws committee meeting, so I was quite surprised to hear of her sudden passing.
September 21st, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Melodee Jackson was always very kind to me and offered great advice (and correction!), always underscored with humor. My most sincere condolences to her family.
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:46 am
She was kind and tough….a good friend and a good human being. She got screwed over by her own party, but she overcame. And Janet Napolitano, no “people person” in real life, stood by her.
September 22nd, 2007 at 3:22 pm
I learned a lot from Melodee about life and politics. She will be greatly missed.
September 23rd, 2007 at 8:59 am
Melodee was one of the first people i met in AZ back in 2000, and one of the VERY few who wasn’t a passive aggressive talentless clown who immediatly accepted an “outsider”. She was always open and inviting to new people with different ideas, and was not afraid to speak her mind, and stand up for what she believed in. Why do the good ones leave us early. A sad loss for D politics all around…
September 23rd, 2007 at 9:37 am
I interned for Melodee Jackson during the summer of 95. It was the summer I also went to a Young Dem’s conference in New Orleans, (where I wasn’t sure whether it was you or your brother, Tedski, who got into some trouble), and the summer I was really introduced into who’s who in Democratic Politics.
Melodee was a tough woman to get to know. But once you did, she would go out of her way to do you a favor. When she was the ED of the party, for the resources she was given, and the money they had (or didn’t have) to work with, she kept everyone energized and kicking. I do believe she is in a better place where people aren’t bickering about politics all the time.
Tedski, if you find info about the services, will you post? Thanks.
September 23rd, 2007 at 7:17 pm
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Melodee in the Governor’s office during 2005 until I moved to Southern Arizona. She was a terrific boss who was always coming up with silly jokes. Whenever I had the opportunity I always stopped in to say hello when visitng the capitol. Her sudden passing is shocking and upsetting.
She was the Democratic Party in Arizona before there was the Jim Pederson “cash cow”. And she continued to have faith in the party even when they no longer had faith in her. The candidate she supported, long before anyone else knew her name, appreciated her so much that she wasted no time in making her her Director of Constituent Services as soon as she was elected as Governor of the state of Arizona. No one had more joy or pride in serving Governor Napolitano than Melodee, which she demonstrated every day she arrived at the capitol.
Knowing Melodee was a prilviledge. I will carry her smile and laughter in my heart for the rest of my life.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:15 am
I think I know to which “trouble” Mr. Davidson refers. Here is how it went, though Ted will probably correct me.
Back in those days, the Young Democrats of America was run like a greek-letter drinking society rather than as a political organization. Few took them seriously. Many of us, which included me and Ted wanted to change this.
There was this fellow named Marty Dunleavy, an old-time Back-East 40-something Union activist who had been apponted by the DNC as a sort of minder for the YDs. Some of us believed that he was actively interveining on behalf of the do-nothing faction that was running things and drafted a resolution calling on the DNC to fire him. We decided that I should introduce the resolution.
I was called into a room by some folks from Louisiana and Illinois and given vague threats of “consequences” should I introduce the resolution, but I did it anyway. It so happened that the spirited floor fight was captured on film by CNN, which the powers that be considered an embarassment. The resolution narrowly failed, but we managed to get a few reform-minded people elected to the board.
Years later, in 2001, by which time the reform faction had taken over and the YDA was a very different organization, Marty Dunleavy announced at the convention in Tucson that he was stepping down from his post. He told me that he bore no ill will against me for trying to get him fired, understood my reasons, and even admired what we tried to do.
I think that Mr. Davidson voted against me at that time, but I am not one to hold a grudge…at least I don’t think so…
September 24th, 2007 at 7:19 am
Naw…the “trouble” he is refering to is either my getting mugged, or the near riot I caused on the floor by reading the vote for Executive Vice President in Spanish.
Viva Kennedy!
September 24th, 2007 at 9:46 am
Melodee Jacksons Memorial
Will be held Saturday 9/29, at 11 am, at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 100 W. Roosevelt, Phoenix.
At noon in the Fellowship Hall, there will be refreshments and the further celebration of Melodee’s life.
September 24th, 2007 at 10:03 am
Melodee volunteered EVERY Wednesday at Hospice of the Valley:
Accounts are being set up now at both Hospice of the Valley and The Emily Center. Information that goes out to the public could read as follows
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that contributions be made in Melodee Jackson’s name to either of the following two charities:
The Emily Center at Phoenix Children’s Hospital
(Emily Anderson Foundation–providing resources and support to parents of children suffering from disease)
c/o Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation
2929 E. Camelback Road, Suite 122
Phoenix, Arizona 85016
Or Online at www.phoenixchildrens.com Click on ways of giving (Fill out the donor form)
Hospice of the Valley
1510 E. Flower St.
Phoenix, AZ 85014
Or Online at www.hov.org
September 24th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Melodee Jackson, My very good friend and sister girl.
I was fortunate to have met and to work with Melodee during the time when she was the Executive Director of the AZ party and I was here at the Democratic National Committee Association of State Democratic Chairs office. We have been friends for over 27 years. We shared so much including our birth dates. She had a wonderful sense of humor. If anyone ever called her cell phone they were in for a good belly laugh if her message came on. She all ways said that laughter was the best thing. She was also a woman of deep faith who showed the love of Jesus to everyone. I will miss her.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:47 pm
Tom, you are a nut. That was much ado about nothing, and I don’t remember any of that. Ted was right, it was when he got mugged. And yes, I do remember a big split amongst the Arizona Delegates for the YD Executives, but I don’t remember details.
I do remember Melodee saying (remember Melodee? It was a blog about Melodee) “you sometimes take what resources you have, and make what you can of them in politics”. She seemed to be able to do that throughout her whole career.
September 24th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
I believe that it was Melodie who helped me get my father qualified for Arizona Senior Healthcare right before I was deployed to Iraq. I was deeply about what would happen to my father when I had to leave but she made sure that those worries were quickly dissolved when he was qualified.
Thank You Melodee, I hope you are now in a place where strife and hate turn into fun and love and you continue to help those in need
Shalom,
Leonard Clark
September 25th, 2007 at 4:22 am
I worked in an office next to Melodee until six weeks ago. She was a woman who cared about people that no one seemed to care about and she treated everyone with respect. She handled herself with class and dignity all while serving the people of Arizona. I know she was good friends with the Governor and many members of the Governor’s staff. She will be missed. My prayers and those of my family’s are with her family and friends at this time of sorrow.
Very Respectfully,
Zach Glazar
September 27th, 2007 at 12:09 am
Melodee… smart, kind, formidable.
She was always a resource and didn’t mince words. She saved me on many occasion and was always on call to help out or offer sound advice.
Her presence will be missed.
Leave a Reply