Jackson Jambalaya

 Former Jackson Commissioner Doug Shanks passed away.  His son, Representative Fred Shanks posted the following message and pictures on Facebook. 

I wanted to let everyone know that Coach Shanks passed away peacefully this morning. We found out a month ago he had lymphoma and passed away due to complications of chemo toxicity.

My family and I can't express how much love we feel with all of the calls/text!

If you knew Coach, the word "Character" comes to mind and that would be an understatement. He lived a full life and was a bit of a Forrest Gump!

The first part of his adult life he was a politician, and I would say operated like a pirate! He started out in the early 70's as the Spokesman for the City of Jackson and shortly thereafter ran for the job of City Commissioner. Which he won and became the first Republican member of the Commission. As a Commissioner he was over the police dept, fire dept, and sanitation. He brought many African Americans on to work in the different city departments, which was unheard of during that era. The city was run so well at the time that the LAPD would come train with JPD!

He was instrumental in helping form what would become the Republican party in Mississippi, he got involved with Clarke Reed and Gil Carmichael, and became Gerald Ford's campaign manager in Mississippi. At the time the Mississippi delegation voted in a unit block but that all changed in 1976. During the '76 Republican National Convention in Kansas City, the state delegates split the vote right before the vote was due. The Mississippi delegation got into a fistfight on the convention floor and a young Haley Barbour stepped in to break it up! The nomination for president came down to the Mississippi delegation and Ford had the votes. This story was covered pretty well in 'Mississippi Politics' by Nash and Taggart, good read if you're a politico. Later Coach would make a run for Mayor of Jackson as a Republican but lost out to Dale Danks. 50 years later, I got into politics and not a day goes by that when I introduce myself and someone hears my last name, they pause and say, "are you related to Doug!!??" He left his mark!

His real passion was Baseball and he lived and breathed it till the end! He started out coaching in Babe Ruth, Connie Mack, and American legion ball. He brought the Mets to Jackson while he was a commissioner and named the stadium after two of his deceased friend's Smith and Wills. He started the Jackson 96'er ball team and became a leader of young men. He sent countless men to college on scholarship through his nationwide contacts in the coaching community. Later he became the head baseball coach at Mississippi Valley State University, becoming the first white coach (of the big 3) in the SWAC. The baseball field had been condemned by the city when he got there, and by the time he left he had built them a real stadium! He never hung up his cleats, he continued coaching high school ball and most recently was helping coach at Hartfield academy.

In his desk we found a list of pallbearers that was handwritten like a baseball Line-Up!! He will be missed! He loved all of you even the ones that went to Ole Miss!