Jackie Phillips Carter

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPH:

I was born in Minot, North Dakota. My father was in the Air Force. We moved to Middletown, which is my father's hometown. This is a picture of my cheerleading squad for the wrestling team. I was a sophomore in high school, and I thought of a picture that would pretty much embody my Middie Pride because I graduated from Middletown High School — so I am a Middie. I've always cheered for the home team, which is Middletown. I really love Middletown and feel very connected to it.

So when they said to pick a picture that would embody Middletown or Middie Pride, it had to be me cheering for the team. We're in the gym, and I think this is where the parallel bars are — and that’s why we chose that setting for the picture.

During that time, it was a lot of fun. I knew nothing about wrestling — right? Just yelling, "Hold them down! Hold them down!" I knew nothing. Fast forward, my husband wrestled in high school. He’s from the Dayton area. I think it was setting me up for something — sometimes you're not cheering for the most popular team. That’s where I ended up, and I stayed with it. I didn’t get discouraged because I wasn’t on the basketball or football cheer squad.

I think it just reinforced that you're placed in a position where you're supposed to be, and so you just embrace that place, that space.

Middletown is a different town. It has its ills, just like any other community, neighborhood, or city. However, it has a lot of love, guts, heart, and a sense of community. It's a nice feeling to know people — even if you don’t know their names. One thing that is consistent is the heart, the love, and the spirit of the people.

So as I went through life, I first worked in dentistry. Then I became a nurse. Now, I’m at the health department — I’m the health commissioner. I work with populations in lower socioeconomic areas, where there are different health disparities — whether it's the very old or the very young, whether it's race-related or otherwise.

And I like that too, because Middletown always seems to come together. Even with all those differences, we come together. For as long as I can remember, it has always been a very diverse city. It is more integrated and united now than it’s ever been before.