City of Rochester News Release
(Thursday,
Feb. 13, 2020) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren has officially renamed the
Clinton-Baden R-Center, located at 485 N. Clinton Ave., as the Trenton &
Pamela Jackson Clinton-Baden R-Center during a ceremony and celebration at the
Center. Among those joining Mayor Warren
were City Council President Loretta Scott, City Council Vice President Willie
Lightfoot, Councilmember LaShay Harris, Commissioner of Recreation and Youth
Services Daniele Lyman-Torres, and Mrs. Pamela Jackson and members of the
Jackson family.
Trent and Pam Jackson were fixtures
at the former Clinton-Baden Community Center, the precursor to the current
R-Center, for many years. Cynthia
Elliott, Assistant to the Executive Director at Baden St., approached Mayor
Warren with the suggestion of naming the R-Center after the couple who had made
such a tremendous impact on the lives of the many youth and families who
utilized the facility.
“When Cynthia suggested renaming the
R-Center after Trent and Pam Jackson, I thought it was an excellent idea,” said
Mayor Warren. “I immediately engaged my
team and went to work on making it a reality.
These two individuals have contributed so much to our community and the
people who live here, especially in this neighborhood. I can’t think of anyone who could possibly be
more deserving of this honor.”
Trent Jackson, who passed away in
2007, was one of Rochester’s greatest athletes and coaches. He competed in the Olympic Games in Tokyo and
played professional football for the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia
Eagles before returning home to work for the Rochester City School District for
more than 30 years. He coached and
mentored thousands of youth in the Rochester community throughout his lifetime,
many of them through his volunteer work with Baden St.
Pam Jackson worked at the
Clinton-Baden Community Center for more than 50 years, serving as the Center
Director for the past 45 years until her retirement last December. She coordinated the first before and after
school programs at Schools #6 and #9, and has been the recipient of numerous
awards and recognitions for her outstanding service to the community.
During today’s renaming celebration,
replicas of the new signage and a bronze plaque that will be placed on the
exterior of the building were unveiled.
Additional speakers at the event
included Trent Jackson Jr. and Yolanda Jackson, children of Trent and Pam, Baden
Street’s Cynthia Elliott, along with Jackson family friends Michael Swinton,
Glenn Gamble and Tony Jordan. The First
Genesis Baptist Church Choir also performed several musical selections.
Mayor Warren also announced today
that World Champion boxer, Rochester’s own Charles “The Natural” Murray, will
run a new boxing program at the Center that will provide training in the sport for
both youth and adults. The program will
take place twice a week and on Saturdays.
City Council is set to vote on
funding for the new boxing program at the February meeting.
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Media Contact: For more information, contact Press Officer
Jessica Alaimo, 428-7135.