Malcom Researchers

The author of BEGINNINGS, Nancy Jayne Malcom, was born in Monroe, Walton County GA the second child of Lowe and Harriett (Anthony) Malcom. She spent her first six years in rural Good Hope before her family moved six miles to Monroe. Her parents were divorced when Jayne was twelve year old. She especially missed her father who relocated to Ft. Payne, Alabama and later Altoona Florida. Jayne was comforted in the absence of her earthly father, Lowe, by her growing faith in her heavenly Father and by surrogate fathers in Monroe Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) where she was baptized by her great uncle, Elmer N. Anthony.

She became very involved in CYF (Christian Youth Fellowship) and was elected an officer in local, District, Conference, State and International CYF. Being an officer on all levels provided her with many opportunities for leadership, service, and lifelong special friends. Two summers in college were spent in Michigan and Wisconsin as a Christian social worker in the Migrant Ministry of the National Council of Churches Thirty years later Jayne was a Methodist work mission volunteer in Puerto Rico, St. Croix, Mexico and Honduras. At the University of Georgia Jayne’s leadership opportunities continued where she was a varsity cheerleader 1959-1962, an officer in Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, Interfaith Fellowship, and Pi Sigma Alpha political science honor society. She also worked for peace and harmony with other students during the stressful time of the admission of UGA’s first two Negro students. Her senior year at UGA she received her acceptance to serve in the Peace Corps in Thailand. She sadly declined the honor because her wedding announcements had already been mailed for her June 3, 1962 marriage to William Dee McKenny, the day after both graduated from the University of Georgia. in Athens and Bill had signed a contract to play football with the Edmonton Eskimos in Alberta Canada.

After one the 1962 Canadian football season, they returned to Georgia where he fulfilled his military obligation and baby Dee Ann, was born 30 July 1963 in Atlanta. While living in Bill’s hometown of Jacksonville FL she taught at Arlington Junior High and in 1969 retired in order to be eligible to adopt a child. Timothy William McKenny was born 20 July 1969 in Jacksonville, FL the day man first walked on the moon and was adopted at age three weeks. Matthew Benjamin McKenny, a biological child born 19 Nov 1975 was a toddler when the family was transferred to Randolph, NJ in December 1976. The following summer their last child, Tara Jayne McKenny was born. The family moved to Lawrenceville, Georgia in 1982, and Jayne prepared for publication of her book BEGINNINGS, worked seasonally as a tax preparer, and became a paralegal. She had her maiden name restored to Jayne Malcom when the twenty-seven year marriage ended by divorce in 1989. That year her acceptance to Georgia State Law School was delivered in the mail the same day she received notice that DeeAnn was pregnant.

Jayne was excited by both, and thought if she did not succeed in law school, she could always write a book, Granny Went to Law School. Granny Jayne worked part-time at the Gwinnett County State Court Solicitors Office while attending law school. During that time she established the Gwinnett County Domestic Violence Task Force, Victim Services Unit and was the Mediation Coordinator and a volunteer Mediator. One of her favorite scripture passages is “Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God”. Jayne considers her skills as a mediator and peacemaker as one of her spiritual gifts.

After she passed the Georgia Bar exam in 1994 and became an attorney, the Solicitor hired her full time. Her legal career as a prosecuting attorney was brief because in February 1997 she was admitted to the hospital for surgery to repair multiple brain aneurysms and was not dismissed until July 1997. Her children asked the surgeon, who called her the miracle lady, why this health condition happened to their mother when they pondered over the fact that their mother was under 60 years of age, had never smoked nor drank alcoholic beverages, not obese, and did reasonable exercise. The doctor replied, “She choose the wrong ancestors” and that is what caused the stroke that left her disabled. Jayne would not change ancestors if she had the choice.