What do you get when you mix a tiny lady, a huge curiosity, a facility with words and an abiding interest in our community? You get Jackie Peterson, star reporter. Regular readers of the Pacific Pearl know Jackie from her articles on everything from a local drug rehabilitation center, to How to Apply for Mexican Residency, to Mexican Christmas Traditions. And always she brings her abiding love of cultural events to our readers with difficult-to-obtain schedules of the Mazatlán Cultural Festival, Sinaloa Festival of the Arts, and the ever growing Carnaval spectacular. Not bad for a lady whose career includes travel writing for San Francisco newspapers and five years of features for The News in Mexico City where she became fluent in Spanish. When it came to thinking of retirement, Jackie tossed a coin between Acapulco and Mazatlán. Lucky for us, Mazatlán won. From the get-go, Jackie involved herself in the community here. Her friend, Joanne Smith, remembers how they met. “I was walking along the beach in 1992, and there was this American lady picking up the garbage as she walked the beach. We got to talking, and have been friends ever since.” Soon after, Jackie approached Mike Veselik, Publisher of the Pacific Pearl, with an idea for a story. In no time she became a feature writer for the Pearl, helping to get the newspaper off the ground with a style sheet and other helpful pointers. With Mike, she became a member of the first organized American group in Mazatlán called The Foreign Connection, a precursor to what eventually evolved into Hands Across the Borders. Jackie has been writing regularly for the Pearl since 1994. “She is,” said Mike, “one of the most helpful people in the Mexican and gringo communities. She starts and is involved in many things, and she does it with sincerity. When the Secretary of Tourism, the police department or Codetur need a translation, they come to Jackie. She even translated the Mazatlán Driver´s Test into English.” Vicki Hubbard, who has worked with Jackie at the Pearl for nine years, agrees. “She is like a little motor. Even being a foreigner, she loves Mazatlán. She sees many problems, but she fights for the Mazatlecos and is a good friend.” And as Maricha Veselik said, “Jackie loves to go into the community to complain, help and find solutions.” It is this heartfelt interest in Mazatlán that lead

Jackie to become a founding member of Friends of Mexico A.C., a non profit organization which helps school children in poor colonias. She chairs the Foundation Committee which oversees the school program, has been instrumental in introducing local officials to the group, and together with Lynn Hernandez wrote and presented Survival Seminars for Americans thinking of moving to Mazatlán. “She´s one of the few people who keeps me young”, said Lynn, “because she has so much energy and is involved in many things.” One of the many things that comes closest to Jackie´s heart is her interest in Mexican culture. As one of five board members for the Mazatlán Cultural Festival, Jackie has successfully lobbied to have their event schedules pre-publicized in the media. Ricardo Uriquijo, Director of Mazatlán Cultural Affairs and manager of the Angela Peralta Theater, remembers how they met. “On performance nights Jackie, and sometimes her friends, would sit on the bench outside my office. I was always running in and out between my office and back stage, and every time I passed her on the bench she would say “Buenas Noches, Ingeniero.” This went on for weeks. I thought she was teasing me, but she was just being polite. Finally we met. I learned she was an American journalist specializing in travel and we began to talk. Then I guess you could say we adopted each other.” A strong bond was formed between them based on their mutual love of all things cultural. Jackie taught him, he says, to make plans ahead of time and promote events, which has resulted in a burgeoning audience at the Theater. He says he knows her well now. “Jackie loves opera, the symphony, dance, chamber music, everything except the spooky music of modern dance.” Jackie has been, said Sr. Uriquijo, the Angela Peralta Theater translater, never charging, and two months ago she translated the Theater´s website into English. She has also translated press kits and information about the Theater´s events as a service to the community. “She has been a great help,” he said. “She has made our work easier and we are very lucky to have her.” And so is the Pacific Pearl. Thank you, Jackie, for your years of insight and support. A measure of your commitment as a reporter and your work in the community is reflected in a phrase we hear you use consistently - “vale la pena” - it´s worth it.