Jacqueline Town’s Legacy at Kean University

By Dorian Alerte | Published by October 15, 2021

Mrs. Jacqueline Towns was a mother, wife, and friend to many, and now her legacy will live on at Kean University. It was announced on June 21, 2021 that the Kean University East Campus basketball court would be newly resurfaced and would honor the late Mrs. Towns with her name on the court. NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns and his father Karl Towns Sr. visited the campus on June 21, 2021 to see the newly renovated basketball court and to meet with Kean president Dr. Lamont Repollet and Athletics Director Kelly Williams. The Edison, New Jersey natives were blown away with the way that the basketball court looked.

“Karl and his family could have picked any university in the country, and they picked Kean University,” Williams said. “Based upon our meeting with them, we were able to lay out a vision of what we wanted that East Campus to represent but more important, we wanted to find time to honor his late mother who passed away to COVID.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, one of the most notable names of people that battled the virus was Jacqueline Towns. In an Instagram post on March 25, 2020, Towns updated his followers on the condition of his mother and posted it with the caption “WE CAN BEAT THIS, BUT THIS IS SERIOUS AND WE NEED TO TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION.”

Due to complications with the virus, Mrs. Towns passed away in April 2020.

Karl, his family, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have found different ways to honor his late mother, through Instagram posts and by reserving a seat with a jersey that donned her name.

Not only was the court dedicated to the late Mrs. Towns, but a women’s empowerment series was also created to identify some of the areas that Mrs. Towns would have had a passion for. This series will help in creating new opportunities for the women student-athletes and highlighting women at the University.

“We also acknowledge the fact that we are highlighting and bringing in the 1986-1987 women’s basketball team into the Hall of Fame, which I think, is the very first time that any women’s team has been recognized at the Hall of Fame in Kean,” Williams said. “There’s going to be a series of events highlighting women’s achievements and giving women opportunities, that will also lead to career fares for women, especially as it relates to athletics and it’s going to continue to go throughout the entire year.”

The reaction of the court was positive overall by social media, Kean students, and the Towns family.

In an Instagram and Twitter post on the same day of their visit, Towns posted the pictures of the court with Mrs. Towns’ name and captioned, “For Jackie. Jacqueline Towns Court. Thank you @KeanUniversity for helping her legacy live on.”

“To see his reaction and everyone’s reaction to the post and just the support it was getting, it did my heart good just to know that this is the reason why we wanted to be partnered up with them because it was more than just her name, it was the fact that we had a vision,” Williams said. “We wanted to make sure that her name and their family’s name is represented throughout because she was just such a special person and to see their reaction in person, it’s priceless. To see their reaction in regards of how they just were so proud to see the mom’s name, was something that I’ll never forget.”

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