Commentary by Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



The North Jefferson News lost a dear friend Thursday when Martha Nell Wilson passed away.

Martha, who at 76, was one of the most active seniors I ever met. She had struggled over the last several months to fight her way back to good health. From all accounts, she waged a noble fight.

I first met Martha in May of 2006 when I started working for The North Jefferson News. As a matter of fact, I probably got to know Martha, who was one of our most valued correspondents, a lot quicker than I got to know my paid staff.

Martha walked into my office probably only a week or so after I started working, sat down and proceeded to tell me all about the Rotary Club. I didn’t have a clue as to what the Rotary Club was, but she said she’d bring my name up at the next meeting and I would likely be accepted.

Sure enough, she was right. At my first meeting, I sat across the table from Martha, because she was the only person I knew. At every meeting I went to from that point on, I sat across from Martha until she was no longer able to attend.

It didn’t take me long to figure out Martha was a valuable resource. First of all, she knew EVERYBODY in town and the town’s history like the back of her hand. I never really worried about hearsay coming out of Martha’s mouth. I knew if she was telling it to me, it was probably going to be fact.

Thanks to Martha, I not only learned about the history of Gardendale, but I also learned about southern culture and the way things used to be done. Martha wrote a weekly column in which she detailed everything from the way her mother used to wash clothes back when she was growing up to using outdoor toilets. Fascinating stuff.

In addition to all these things, Martha was involved in just about every social club one could be involved with in Gardendale. As the owner of Wilson’s Florist, she also knew a thing or two about beautification and was a pioneer in the city’s beautification efforts.

Martha was a friend to the community on so many levels, and was certainly a friend to The North Jefferson News. I can’t remember if I ever formally thanked her for her contributions to the newspaper, but I hope she knew how thankful we were to have her around.