Jan Robertson

Jan Robertson

Oxford

Jan Robertson died on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, in Memphis surrounded by her three loving sons. She was 73. Her quiet and peaceful passing from this earth was a contrast to the boisterous and beautiful life she so joyfully led.

Born Lillian Janette Humber on July 9, 1941 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, she was the daughter of the late Jimmy & Ninette (Carter) Humber. Jan grew up in the Mississippi Delta and called the state her home for nearly all of her life.

After graduating from Clarksdale High School in 1959, Jan attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri where she was valedictorian. She then enrolled at the University of Mississippi in 1961 where she was managing editor of The Daily Mississippian and covered the James Meredith riots, earning a Pulitzer Prize nomination.

After her graduation from Ole Miss in 1963, Robertson married James L. Robertson and moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts for a few years before returning to their home state and settling in Greenville, Mississippi where they started a family of three sons. In Greenville, she distinguished herself as state editor of the Delta Democrat Times and later —perhaps more famously — as the hostess of "Romper Room" on local TV where she was known to preschoolers across the Delta as "Miss Jan."

In 1979, the family moved to Oxford, where Robertson went to work in the Office of Public Relations at her alma mater. She worked in PR at Ole Miss for more than a decade, serving as director of university news and editor of the Ole Miss Alumni Review. She eventually worked as an adjunct professor in the School of Journalism until her retirement.

A lifelong, diehard Democrat, Jan first served as a local campaign coordinator and then delegate to the 1976 Democratic convention for Jimmy Carter. Over the next 40 years, she supported or served on the campaigns of dozens of Democratic candidates at the local, state, and national levels and on the Executive Committee of the state Democratic Party. She served as campaign manager for Robert Clark, the first African American nominee for Congress since Reconstruction. In 2009, she was proudly seated on the Capitol lawn as Barack Obama was sworn in as President.

Jan spent her lifetime giving back to others through community service. In Oxford, she served as president of Habitat for Humanity, the Exchange Club, and the American Red Cross. She also led the Boys & Girls Club of the L-O-U Community through a period of growth, and then served two years as state president of the Mississippi Area Council of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. She was an active member of St. Andrew's United Methodist Church where she sang in the choir.

Her commitment to her community did not go unnoticed, and she was honored with the "Woman of Distinction Award," by the Girl Scouts of America, named to the "Book of Golden Deeds for Community Service" by the Oxford Exchange Club, and even earned the "Green Thumb" award from the Greenville Gardening Club, of which she was particularly proud.

But biographies aside, Jan was best known as a one-of-a-kind, larger than life character.

An optimistic and unapologetic liberal, Robertson spent her last years tooling around North Mississippi in a Toyota Prius emblazoned with bumper stickers evenly divided between support for progressive causes and Ole Miss basketball. Pulling up behind her at a stoplight was like visiting the library.

She loved an adventure and did service projects in Russia, cruised around Alaska, went on a safari in Tanzania, and found herself in Times Square at the turn of the millennium.

She loved food and traveled the U.S. dining at some of the country's finest establishments while also never missing a Cracker Barrel or cherry limeade from Sonic. She was a friend and confidant to food servers everywhere, regardless of the restaurant's stature; if you wore an apron, she wanted your opinion on "what do you recommend from the menu?"

She also loved to shop and probably spent more time at Square Books Jr. than any child ever has, and probably more money than any adult. There wasn't a singing, mechanical animal that she didn't buy at Hallmark.

She loved the arts, going to plays and the movies, and prided herself on her near-encyclopedic knowledge of Hollywood and the Oscars.

She laughed. Loud and whooping. All the time. And she spent far more of her life smiling than not, even when she was sick.

Jan Robertson lived a life filled with deep love, great kindness, vibrant color (purple and green on most days; red and blue for Ole Miss games), and a child-like enthusiasm for the world around her. She was a loving mother, a doting grandmother, a loyal friend, a generous supporter of her community, and she will be dearly missed.

She is survived by her sons, Rob Robertson (Jenny) of Memphis, Lamar Robertson (Lauren) of Silver Spring, Maryland; and Chris Robertson (Sarah) of Fairfax, California; five grandchildren: Caroline, Beck, Tate, Cecilia and Lily Jane; her sister Mary Margaret Polles (Sammy) of Ridgeland; brother James Humber of Clarksdale and several nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, November 20, 2014, from noon until 2 p.m. at St. Andrew's United Methodist Church in Oxford, followed immediately by a memorial service at 2 p.m. at the church. A private graveside service will be held at Oxford Memorial Cemetery for family. Waller Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Boys & Girls Club LOU Barksdale Clubhouse, 413 Washington Avenue, Oxford, MS 38655.