[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 186 (Tuesday, November 27, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING JAQUELINE DOUGLAS, AKA ``WACKY JACKY''

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 27, 2018

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise along with my colleagues, Mike 
Thompson and Jared Huffman, to honor an American icon, a woman who is 
one of a kind on the water and on land. Jaqueline Douglas, better known 
as Wacky Jacky, has been taking people fishing for almost half a 
century. There is nothing that makes her happier than a happy angler 
walking off her sportfishing charter boat, the Wacky Jacky, with two 
big, bright king salmon after a day on the open ocean. Fishing and 
people are her life.
  Jacky was born Jaqueline Detsch on October 3, 1928 in San Francisco. 
Do the math and you'll realize just one of the reasons that makes her 
special: at age 90, she is still the captain of her boat. Retirement is 
something she thinks about occasionally, but as she told San Francisco 
Chronicle reporter Tom Stienstra at the beginning of this year's salmon 
season, ``If I can't run my boat, you might as well hang me out to 
dry.''
  Jacky attended Lincoln High School and studied journalism. Fresh out 
of high school in 1946, she started to work for a brand-new 
organization, the San Francisco 49ers. She was the Queen of the 49ers 
during its inaugural season under general manager Lou Spadia. After 
that season, Jacky began a modeling career with Alice of California, a 
San Francisco women's designer. Work had to take a temporary backseat 
when she met and married George James Douglas XVII at age 19. They soon 
had four daughters, Diana, Johanna, Lucinda and Roni, and Jacky focused 
on being a devoted mother and wife. In the mid 50s, it was George who 
kindled Jacky's passion for fishing. She joined him for one of his many 
trips on a party boat and thought to herself, ``Gee, this is pretty 
neat; I wonder how we can get our own boat.'' In 1960, they scraped 
together enough money to buy a 28-foot double ender in Monterey which 
was christened the first Wacky Jacky and berthed in a backrow slip at 
Fisherman's Wharf.
  By now, Jacky was thoroughly hooked on fishing. She decided to become 
a sportfishing charter boat captain--to the shock of the instructors at 
the Dovi Navigation School. There simply weren't any female captains, 
but in 1972 she became the first one. License in hand, she purchased a 
36-foot boat from her friend Albie Spadaro, the second Wacky Jacky. To 
this day, she is the only woman skipper in the San Francisco Bay Area 
fleet. Her third and current Wacky Jacky is a pristine 50-foot Delta 
she bought in 1976 which is berthed in the number one slot at Jones and 
Jefferson streets at Fisherman's Wharf.
  Making it in this male-dominated world wasn't easy. The petite, 5-
foot Captain Jacky Douglas endured plenty of contempt, ridicule, and 
cat calls in the beginning of her career, but as time passed, she won 
people over with her skills, perseverance, warmth and humor. She has 
taken over 150,000 people fishing and they usually return with fishing 
limits and great stories to tell. She loves to share what she calls 
Wacky Jacky's World. ``The atmosphere is so heavenly. You just 
completely don't even think about what's going on in the rest of the 
world. You are out here trying to catch a fish, enjoy the people. It's 
a wonderful, wonderful world.''
  Her skills, advocacy and boundless energy have earned her a long list 
of awards and nicknames. She was inducted into the California Outdoors 
Hall of Fame in 2013 for her outstanding work as a salmon boat skipper, 
naturalist and conservationist. It is worth pointing out that she 
received a record 40 out of, 41 votes. She has been called the First 
Lady of Salmon Fishing, and California's No. 1 goodwill ambassador and 
advocate for salmon, fisheries conservation and water issues. She has 
represented the Golden Gate Fisherman's Association at state and 
federal hearings. And she is the public face of salmon fishing having 
appeared in hundreds of television, radio and print stories.
  In 2008, Jacky lost her husband George to cancer. It was only 
recently that she found new romance which was tragically cut short. 
Last year, she and long-time family friend and fellow skipper Roger 
Thomas became a couple. The two resembled a teenage couple head over 
heels in love. Roger worshipped Jacky. In a horrible twist of fate, 
Roger was diagnosed with terminal cancer, given just weeks to live. 
Jacky took care of Roger for six months, making his remaining time the 
best anyone could make it. Those who knew Roger had never seen him that 
happy.
  I have known Jacky Douglas for eight years and believe that making 
other people happy is her foremost priority in life. For every holiday, 
I receive a box of sweets and her famous origami fish in Valentines, 
Easter, Christmas, or whatever occasion colors with a heartwarming note 
sending me ``Best Fishes.'' Jacky Douglas has a heart of gold.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to 
celebrate the 90th birthday of a remarkable woman with a heartfelt 
``woohoo,'' one of her favorite expressions of joy, excitement and 
happiness. May Captain Jacky Douglas, the extraordinary huntress of the 
sea, continue to bring joy to everyone around her for years to come.

                          ____________________