Sensational Seniors – August 2019

The subject of the August “Sensational Seniors” article, Carolyn Kingsnorth, has the most extensive and varied career resume of anyone I have ever met. I will only be able to touch on some aspects of her vita; hopefully, it will give the flavor of this statement. Carolyn was born in Decatur, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Her mother was a teacher and her father a post office superintendent. While an only child, she comes from a “Southern clan,” and Carolyn remembers her home as “the go to place” with many of her cousins periodically living with her family.

Carolyn attended grade, junior high and high school in Decatur, graduating from Decatur High School in 1964 as the class valedictorian. She was involved in several high school clubs, was on the newspaper staff, was selected as the Atlanta Junior Miss and was runner-up in the Georgia Junior Miss competition. She laughs when remembering this experience. “It was really more based on academics than a beauty contest. I had to answer a number of thought-provoking questions and, believe it or not, my talent was sewing.” This experience led to a short modeling career. “Probably my best modeling gig was for a Sears and Roebuck washing machine ad. I was pretty good at throwing clothes into a washer.” Remembering her high school days, she relates, “I was not part of the in crowd nor part of the out crowd. I more of less danced on the periphery.”

After high school, Carolyn enrolled at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia. “I wanted to go to Vassar, but my father, true to his southern heritage, would not let me cross the Mason-Dixon line. Randolph-Macon, however, was a challenge for me. In high school, too many girls had gotten what I called a “case of the stupids” around boys, and I had lost regard for them academically. At college I was surrounded by many smart women and relearned to admire and respect them. And, I got to spend my junior year abroad, studying at the University of London.”

Graduating from college in in 1968, her first stop was New York as an assistant buyer for Bonwit Teller, a luxury department store on Fifth Avenue. When departments merged, she transferred to public relations, beginning her 35+-year marketing career. After 18 months, she moved back to the Atlanta area, intent on going to law school. Instead, her marketing background led her to an Atlanta advertising agency as its PR director. “I worked on Jimmy Carter’s campaign for Governor of Georgia. I also had a movie theater chain as a client so had numerous opportunities to meet film stars promoting their latest releases. Gene Kelly was my first star, and he was charming and a true gentleman. He took the time to walk me through how to run a personal appearance tour, which came in handy numerous times. For example, I found that Rock Hudson became very nervous before interviews but loved crossword puzzles. I could sit him down with a crossword puzzle book before an interview, and he wouldn’t think to become anxious.”

Carolyn’s work with the movie theater chain introduced her to many people in the entertainment world, including Michael Hudgens, the Amusements Editor of the then Houston Post. She married him on Christmas Eve of 1971. She remembers, “I gained a wonderful stepson Thomas, and a lifestyle of culture and travel. By becoming a ‘stringer’ for Atlanta newspapers, I was able to join Michael on film ‘junkets’ which took us to New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Mexico and led to interviews with stars like Richard Chamberlain, Roger Moore, Lucille Ball, and John Wayne. I thought Lucille Ball was working too hard at being Lucille Ball, but John Wayne was the same on screen and off.”

Carolyn also worked political campaigns and as a researcher at Rice University on The Papers of Jefferson Davis. “I was an expert on extinct towns and villages in Mississippi.” But when Michael became determined to write the “classic American novel,” they moved from Houston to what they considered the more inspiring atmosphere of San Francisco where he wrote his novel and Carolyn was charged with making a living for the two of them. Her first job was as assistant to the president of an air freight company which led to her becoming the company’s public relations director and a move to Los Angeles. She went on to be the director of overseas marketing for a computer company, and then, when it was bought out, Western Marketing Director at Prudential Asset Management Company. She also found time to earn an MBA in finance from UCLA.

After 13 years of marriage to Michael, the couple divorced, and Carolyn spent another 13 years as a single and very busy professional woman. She started her own marketing company, teaching investment managers how to communicate. After several years of living on airplanes, she sold her company and took a job running the front office of a manufacturing company. When she realized that the factory workers lacked adequate English to accurately fulfill orders, she set up and taught an English as a Second Language program for them. This led to a job as Director of Workplace Learning Programs for California Literacy, creating a variety of workplace ESL programs for Los Angles businesses. While completing most of her doctorate in education, she consulted for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab teaching managers communication skills, then worked for Los Angeles County researching growth industries, viable career paths, and relevant workforce training.

In 1995 she met Bob Kingsnorth and this “darling of a man” became her husband in 1997. Bob had a degree in mechanical engineering and, when they met, was a manufacturing executive for a national corporation. As Carolyn relates, “Bob came as a package and I gained two great children, then their spouses, and then two grandsons and two granddaughters.”

In 2003, after sitting in 4-lane L.A. traffic for two hours, Bob announced, “It’s time!” This led to their settling on Old Military Road outside of Jacksonville. Carolyn and Bob had visited longtime friends in Jacksonville for several years, gaining an introduction to the Rogue Valley. “We knew we wanted to relocate in the Jacksonville area. The only question was when,” recalls Carolyn. Once they made the move Carolyn and Bob immersed themselves in Jacksonville life. They both became active in the Jacksonville Boosters Club. Bob enjoyed working on Boosters projects, and Carolyn became the Club President. Each was eventually recognized as “Booster of the Year” for their contributions to the Club and the City of Jacksonville.

If the Boosters activities were not enough, Carolyn bought the Jacksonville Review. “I had an ulterior motive. We lived outside of the City so could not vote on important issues or serve on commissions. It was a way to stick my two cents in!” But after running the paper for almost three years, she found it was wearing her out. “I was doing everything—photography, article writing, interviews, copy layout, you name it. I jumped at the opportunity to sell the paper to Whit Parker.”

Her retirement time was short lived, because her abundant energy led her to serve on several local arts boards as well as continue writing for the Review. She dusted off her B.A. in history in 2010 when the long-time Jackson County funding for the Southern Oregon Historical Society ended, and five Jacksonville gems, including the old Jackson County Courthouse and the Beekman House were in danger of being forgotten. Carolyn remembers, “This was a sad time. The Southern Oregon Historical Society could not afford to keep the buildings and Jacksonville could not afford to lose them.” Carolyn became part of a small group of people who created the Jacksonville Heritage Society, a non-profit organization that sub-leased the five historical buildings. Each Board member assumed responsibility for one of the buildings, Carolyn’s being the Beekman House. This was the start of multiple programs revolving around the Beekman House, all orchestrated by Carolyn.

 After Jackson County deeded the properties over to the City of Jacksonville in 2012, Historic Jacksonville, Inc., another 501(c)3 organization, was established. Under Carolyn’s spirited leadership Historic Jacksonville is bringing Jacksonville history to life and life to Jacksonville history. The two cornerstone buildings of Historic Jacksonville are the Beekman House and the Beekman Bank which feature year-round popular history tours of the buildings with knowledgeable costumed docents leading the way. In addition to these activities, Historic Jacksonville sponsors monthly Haunted History tours and a one hour “Walk through History” tour of Jacksonville’s Historic District every Saturday this summer. Carolyn’s goal is a simple one, “We want to continue to explore and find new ways to showcase the rich history of Jacksonville.”

Reflecting on her Southern Oregon experience, Carolyn offers praise for her adopted city. “There are so many interesting people in Jacksonville, and the town and Valley are culturally and intellectually alive. There are wonderful and inspiring outdoor activities. And it’s a beautiful place to live.” While the loss of her beloved Bob this past year dealt her a difficult emotional blow, she is finding solace in Jacksonville and Historic Jacksonville activities. She is always looking for volunteers to serve as docents for all the organization’s programs, and she is never averse to accepting tax-deductible donations to Historic Jacksonville to help keep Jacksonville history alive and well.