District 3 – Commissioner

William Donald “Don” Jernigan is a native of Macon, Georgia, born February 4th, 1949.  He graduated from Andrew Jackson High School, Jacksonville, Florida 1967 where he was on the track and field team and basketball team assistant.  After high school, he continued working at a local restaurant and grocery store until he decided that he wanted to see the world and the best way, he determined, was to volunteer to join the United States Army in October, 1968.  He received his Army Basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, qualifying as rifle sharpshooter and M-79 grenade launcher. After basic training, he was sent to Fort Lee, Virginia to train as a stock controller and account specialist while continuing basic combat training. From Virginia he was sent to Atlanta Army Depot to train as an inventory control specialist. July, 1969, he was transferred to Long Binh, Vietnam, an hour north of Siagon, and served as a leader of the Red Ball Express. Red Ball Express was responsible for filling the request of the troops in combat, supplies were extensive from cameras to jeep engines. His organizational skills were highly requested even by other divisions. While in Vietnam he earned the rank of E-5. As a parts specialist he received the Vietnam Service Medal with 3 Bronze Stars, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign medal and the Army Medal of Commendation. The next year, July, 1970, he left Vietnam for Fort Hood, Texas where he performed the same outstanding organizational skills. September, 1971, he was Honorably Discharged. He returned to Jacksonville to seek work.

His experience in the military was a help in attaining a job at an appliance warehouse where he worked as an inside sales person, keeping parts inventories on service vehicles for a chain of retail electronics and appliance stores. After several years he relocated to New Orleans continuing his skills at organization and customer service in the parts business. Within the same company he relocated to Mobile and Birmingham, Alabama becoming an assistant manager, supervising inside sales, shipping and inventories. When that company fell on hard times, he transferred to Marietta, Georgia continuing to do the same kind of work. From there he left for another electronic parts company in Norcross, Georgia and remained working there until the company wanted to transfer him to Tampa, Florida. He took a customer service job with BellSouth Communications. Don met Janet, his wife, through a mutual friend in a very unlikely organization, The Louisiana Club of Atlanta. They were married in August, 1996 in Las Vegas. His son, Ed, came to live with Don and Janet at their home in Decatur, Georgia and began first grade there. In 2000 when Janet retired, the family moved to Turtle Cove Community. Don’s interest in sports led him to become an umpire at the Jasper County Recreation Department he also served on their Board of Directors. He also was a substitute teacher at Washington Park Elementary, Jasper County Middle and High School. In addition, he served on the Board of Save Jasper Memorial Hospital of Jasper County, as an election supervisor at Martin Burney Voting Precinct, He served 6 years on the Turtle Cove Board of Directors. He has served as a County Commissioner since 2017 for District 3.