By Emily Steele
For decades, Jerry Wilkinson and his wife, Mary Lou, have chased history — capturing it before it disappears. His interest in the history of places he has been and his association with K Wilkinson led him to become president of the Upper Keys Historical Preservation Society board of trustees.
As Wilkinson explains it, “History is my teacher. Things do not occur by happenstance; history tells us why things happen today.”
Wilkinson’s first trip to the Keys, on a second-hand motorcycle, when he was 19 landed him in Key West. There he found the U.S. Navy a prominent presence and decided to join. However, his eyesight kept him from doing so and he joined the Army Air Corps, which became the Air Force.
He served 23 years in the Air Force supervising the installation and maintenance of radar stations. He was stationed in Guam during the Korean War; Spain, where he landed in Madrid the night Castro took over Cuba; and various bases in the United States. In 1970, he retired from his last station, Homestead Air Force Base. While in Homestead he met and married his wife, Mary Lou.
For the next several years the Wilkinsons traveled a circuit that included California, teaching windsurfing; and Colorado, where they rafted the rivers, hiked mountains, and worked in stained glass. They settled in the Keys, first on Lake Surprise and then on the Atlantic, near Harry Harris Park.
Wilkinson’s passion for history grew and blossomed into preserving historical artifacts, presenting, publishing and reenactments. His reenactments of Henry Flagler, James Audubon and Dr. Perrine are well known. His published works include History Talks, the society’s quarterly publication; A Bit of Keys History for The Reporter and five Images of America books titled “Key Largo” and “Islamorada” with Brad Bertelli; “Key West’s Duval Street”; “Marathon — The Middle Keys” and “Hidden History of the Florida Keys” with Laura Albritton. Many of the primary source artifacts the Wilkinsons gathered are now housed in the Jerry Wilkinson Research Library at the Florida Keys History and Discovery Center.
In 2017, Wilkinson became involved with the founding of Just Older Youth Inc. and the JOY Center. He attended the open forum community meetings conducted by Betsy Baste and colleagues. When it came time to form an advisory board to pursue the mission of creating a center, Wilkinson volunteered and was selected as a board member where he served multiple terms. He is designated as a lifetime board member in honor of all the time, insight and support he has given the nonprofit.
Wilkinson said history is what kept him in the Keys, but when asked what keeps him young, Wilkinson chuckles and says, “Why, having a wife 25 years younger than you.” Followed by, “Having younger people around keeps you thinking young.”
The JOY Center offers vibrant programs and lifelong learning experiences for people over 50 every Wednesday, both virtual and on-site. This bi-weekly column will feature the many dedicated people who are working to achieve this goal. For more information contact Justolderyouthinc@gmail.com.
