Downtown Jackson roundabout dedicated to former businessman

JACKSON, Tenn.– When drivers take the roundabout into downtown Jackson, they’ll now see a new statue of Jonas Kisber Jr., a businessman loved by the Jackson community.

City officials unveiled the statue, dedicated to Kisber, Thursday morning at the roundabout.

“He was a merchant, ran a family-owned department store, was active in the civic life of the community, served in the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Council, represented this area on the Tennessee Board of Regents after my mother’s death,” Kisber’s son, Matt, said.

Kisber says he feels that the dedication fits his father like a glove.

“He spent so much, most of his life, working in downtown trying to make it the best it could be. Downtown, he always believed, represented the heart of the community,” Kisber said.

Kisber says his father was loved throughout the community.

“He never met a stranger. He would take the shirt off his back for someone that needed it,” Kisber said. “His biggest competitors in the retail world were some of his best friends. He never let business get in the way of a friendship.”

Kisber says his father was someone who believed in Jackson.

“No matter where he went around the world, Jackson was home and he was proud to share that,” Kisber said.