Dwain and Harriet Jackson Byron parade grand marshals

Dwain and Harriet Jackson were surprised when Byron mayor Alan Clark knocked on their door and asked it they would serve as the Byron Days parade marshals this year. 

“The mayor knocked on the door,” Dwain said. “We invited him in, and he asked us if we would serve in that capacity this year. We were totally surprised, not being natives, but we said that we would, and it will happen Saturday.”

The Jacksons are natives of Georgia, Harriet from about 25 miles north of Savanna and Dwain 50 miles northeast of Atlanta. With these cities being four and half hours apart, the way they met is interesting. They both were auditioning for a part in a community theater production of  “Guys and Dolls.” 

“We were both cast,” Dwain said, “and I guess the rest is history. Friday was our 44^th wedding anniversary.”

It was through events in Dwain’s oldest daughter’s life that they came to Byron. She was talked into coming to the University of Wyoming by her high school cross country coach.

“We came to Wyoming in ‘87, fell in love with it and came at least once a year for the next eight years. In 1995 somewhere between Billings and Atlanta on an airplane, we decided to retire to Wyoming. Our daughter and the Realtor had gone to Powell to look at a house,” Dwain said. “The afternoon they went, someone had signed a contract on it, and they called us and said, ‘What do you think about living in Byron?’ I said, ‘It’s in Wyoming, isn’t it?’ So I guess Byron found us.”

They bought that house in 1995 and moved in in April of 2000.

The Jacksons have been active in the Byron community for 25 years. Dwain served one term on the town council. They both participate in Friends of Byron, a group that simply does positive things for other people by arranging social gatherings, checking on the elderly from time to time and other small contributions that mean so much. They are also a part of the Community Watch program.

Dwain was involved with Linda NeVille and Gary Gruell, who was the committee for the renovation of town hall. Harriet then began a project that would be at the heart of she and Dwain.

“Once that (town hall) was done, Harriet, mainly, I was the go-fer,” Dwain said, “she put, and if you haven’t seen it, you need to, but she put that museum together from scratch.”

Harriet explained that they think a town museum is very important.

“When we were tourists, every town we came to that had a museum, we would go through it. And that’s the way you really experience the gist of a town quickly. Most of them were small, very, very nice, and we thought that Byron had a lot to say. And so after the renovation of the building there was a tiny room that we could start doing that. The only thing we had in that room was a small table and an orange box of stuff,” Harriet said. “And for I don’t know how many years, I did all the typing and labeling of stuff right here (in her home). Eventually, the council decided we could do a little more. It evolved.”

“I think a museum is a reflection of a town’s personality,” Dwain added.

Good friend Denney NeVille said of the Jacksons’ love of the museum, “They had an interest in small-town museums. It kind of became a hobby for them. Some towns maintained and preserved objects and stories for modern communities to see how different things were from how they are now. They had a sensitivity toward the need to preserve and catalog everything in the museum, which is so important because now when people ask for something we can go to the inventory and direct them to it.”

With the veterans display Harriet explained, “We had quite a few people who loaned us their uniforms. The uniforms are there, but the people are gone. We were impressed with that.”

The Jacksons used to be avid runners, hikers and wilderness tent campers. Now they walk every morning. Dwain told that for years their hobby was reenacting the history of the American fur trade era.

They both read a lot. Dwain enjoys reading and reciting poetry, and Harriet leans toward journals, diaries and true stories about the outdoors. She also used to do a lot of sewing, counter cross stitch being her favorite. She enjoys puzzles. 

Harriet is also an accomplished photographer and painter. Their home is decorated with lovely scenes of various places, both local and distant.

When asked if there was anything more they would like to share with the readers, Dwain said, “I tell people one of the secrets to youth as you age is to keep your mind active, and I believe that.”