About Our
Founder
How It Began.
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— Jack Hadley
1936
Birth & Early Life
James “Jack” Hadley, a native of Thomasville, was born out at Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomas County in 1936 to the late Dennis and Rosetta James Hadley, the parents of 15 children.
Air Force Service
Jack joins the United States Air Force, beginning a military career that would take him around the world.
1956
1968
The Collection Begins.
It was during a tour of military duty in Spain in 1968 that Jack began his collection by saving newspaper articles from the European Stars and Stripes Newspaper on the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
First Exhibit in Germany.
The collection expanded as Jack began researching Black American achievers using Ebony and Jet magazines. Sparked by his son Jim’s concern over the lack of recognition for Black History Week at his school in Wiesbaden, Germany, their efforts led to the first Black History exhibit at Lindsey Air Station and the high school. Jack went on to organize similar exhibits at other military bases throughout his career.
1979
1984
Retirement from the Military
He retired in 1984. Jack also was employed with the United States Postal Service as a City Letter Carrier for twelve years and retired on April 1, 1997.
Collection Milestones
On Jan. 31, 1993, The Jack Hadley Black History Memorabilia Collection, in cooperation with the Thomas County Museum of History, completed a project of photo exhibits; bound transcriptions; recordings, both audio and video of extensive oral history accounts of black citizens who lived, worked or were raised on the southern hunting plantations, (1900‑1940) period. This manuscript is titled: AFRICAN-AMERICAN LIFE ON THE SOUTHERN HUNTING PLANTATION.
1993
2006
Museum Opens
The Jack Hadley Black History Museum opens its doors on the Historic Douglass High School campus, preserving and sharing African American history with the community.
