One of the people who helped to make Myrtle Beach the bustling tourist destination it is today passed away this week. He was just shy of 90. And what a life.
Nelson Jackson and his wife, Mary Emily and their five daughters, created Ocean Lakes Family Campground back in 1970. When it opened in 1971, Mr. Jackson was 50 years old. At a time when many were looking ahead and contemplating a decade or so of slowing the pace before retirement, he was willing to take a risk. He chose to take 310 acres of pristine (and high value) oceanfront and start an affordable destination resort, a campground where almost any family could afford to come and enjoy the beautiful beach and ocean.
He said years later that his family could have “done a lot of things with 310 oceanfront acres in Myrtle Beach, and we’ve had many lucrative offers, but we believe that everyone - the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker - should have the privilege of enjoying God’s beautiful ocean.”
On an average week in the summer, around 30,000 people of every income level and from every walk of life stay at Ocean Lakes. What a legacy.
Thank you, Mr. Jackson for the vision you and your family shared and the joy you've brought to literally millions of people over the years by creating Ocean Lakes. You will be missed.
Friday, February 5, 2010
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