Deb Jameson—known for fun-loving, caring spirit—to retire from Wallace

By Becky Uehling

Grant Tribune-Sentinel

Wallace School Librarian and Technology Coordinator Deb Jameson, 67, loves the school she has served for more than 20 years. However, the time has come to retire. She will miss Wallace, and there is no doubt Wallace will miss her. 

When the teachers at Wallace were asked to say a few words about Mrs. J, as she is affectionately known, many thoughts came to mind—reliable, knowledgable, caring, committed, kid-centered—but the traits they all agreed on were that Deb has a fun loving spirit and great sense of humor. 

“Deb will be greatly missed because she is such a fun person to work with!” said Liz Hock, math teacher. “She is always ready to enjoy a good joke or to make mischief. I will miss the lightheartedness that she brings to school everyday.”

“Deb has the biggest heart,” said Christy Sheets, math and Spanish teacher. “It will be hard not to see her bright smiling face every day.”

“Mrs. J has been great to work with,” said PE Teacher Eric Miller. “She provides a lot of laughs and good times.  She is a great prankster as well!”

From Eastern Nebraska
to Wallace

A native from South Sioux City, Deb Jameson graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1978 with an early education degree. It was during her time at UNL that she met her husband, Ray, who is from Elsie. 

After marrying, Deb took a job teaching Title I in Lincoln. It would be her first job and she would be there for just half a year before taking time to raise the couple’s son, Chay. Shortly after, the family moved to Ashland so Ray could farm with family, and Deb worked part-time as a substitute teacher.  

In 1991, the Jamesons made their way back to Ray’s home where Ray continued to farm. For Deb, it was quite a change, and it took her a while to adjust to life away from her hometown and family, but she did, saying she loves western Nebraska. 

When Chay was in first grade, Deb decided to start substitute teaching at Wallace Schools, and in 2002 accepted the Title I job at the school. In 2006 the librarian job came open, Deb thought she would give it a try and fell in love with the position. 

“I really love it because I get to work with all of the grade levels,” she said. 

Deb had experience in technology because of her son’s love for it, so she also fell into the technology coordinator position for the school. She gives a lot of credit to ESU 16 for their technology training and assistance over the years. 

A lot of Precious, Fun Memories

When asked about her memories at Wallace, Jameson has many. However, her favorites, and the ones she will miss the most, will be helping students pick out books and reading out loud to the younger students. 

Jameson shared one precious memory about a young student who just so happened to graduate last year.

“I was trying to get him to read chapter books, and he came in one day and said, ‘Oh, Mrs. Jameson, this book had a real story in it!’ He was so excited,” she said. 

Not a Quiet Library

Jameson adores the students who come in and are so happy to be there. 

“My library is not a quiet library,” she said. “I mean, we aren’t super loud, but I am not real strict on the quiet part. It’s a fun place,” she said. 

Decorating the library, handing out prizes, giving competitions and activities, dressing up for special days, doing pranks and her huge sense of humor are all activities that the staff and students know Mrs. J for. 

“Mrs. Jameson makes the library a fun environment for all kids. She decorates for every holiday and has fun, singing stuffed animals for the kids to enjoy,” said elementary teacher Korene Flaming. “The students want to go to the library, and many go multiple times a day. Learning is fun when Mrs. Jameson is the teacher.”

The students also have loved helping to prank Mrs. J. 

Two of her fondest pranks were when a few of the teachers and upper grade students covered her entire library floor with red solo cups.

“It took them three hours to put the cups out, and, with the help of the first graders, who are the seniors this year, we had them (the cups) picked up in about 20 minutes,” she said. Jameson has a poster commemorating this “Perfect Prank”, she said. 

Another prank was when the seniors of 2013 printed off several copies of different styles of eyeballs and put them all over the library, including in books, she said. “They were everywhere,” she said. So, for graduation, each of the seniors received an eyeball, Jameson giggled.

Starting to Travel

In 2015, Deb and Ray decided to take a trip, and after returning, they knew they had found a new hobby. 

“We have a list of places we would like to go,” she said. “One reason I am retiring is because we don’t want to get so old that we can’t go anymore.”

Traveling is one of her top priorities after retirement, along with a list of home projects that is very long. She and Ray also like to thrift shop. 

Serving as the Hub

While serving as the librarian, Mrs. J felt like she was the hub at the school, and each of the classrooms was a spoke in a wheel. 

Much of the staff agrees with Mrs. J’s description of the library being the hub, saying she was a big part of how the school worked so smoothly. 

“Mrs. J has made the Wallace library an amazing place,” said English teacher Samantha Garrison. “She is very focused on the kids and what they are into so she can recommend a good book. She also keeps the staff happy and knows how to be a great teammate. Mrs. J will be missed; Wallace won’t be the same without her!

 “I’ve only known her for two years, but I can tell you that I’m a better educator for having been around her, and more importantly, I’m a better person,” said Principal Bob Braithwait. 

Mrs. J hopes she has left a lasting impact on the students, and that they loved to come to the library as much as she loved having them.

As for advise for the new librarian, Mrs. J said, “I would tell the next librarian to be flexible, and to go with the flow,” she said. “And, to have fun.”