Pamela (Jackson) Selinski

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Biography

Pamela grew up in Minneapolis, MN. Her address at age 4 was 916 20th Avenue So. Then she moved to 1332 Irving Ave. No, then to 2008 10th Avenue So and finally to 2738 Stevens Ave So. She graduated from Minneapolis Central High School, the Class of 1969. She began her college career at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 1969. She took a few weeks off to give birth to her first daughter, Jennifer, and then returned to college. She finished her first year of studies but did not return to school the following fall. In April, of 1971 she gave birth to her son, Brian. She lived at home with her parents and two siblings until they moved to Waterville, MN in 1972. Pam lived in an upstairs apartment at 2738 Stevens while her parents rented the lower level. In September of 1973 Pamela got a job with the City of Minneapolis as a Meter Monitor/Checker. Thus began a 37 year career. She wrote parking tickets and emptied the City's parking meters. Her job also included communicating with people that asked questions and were sometimes angry, as well as going to court to defend her actions. In 1977, Pamela married Henry Lyle Sundlin, her best friend, Roxanne's, brother. In June of 1980, Pamela gave birth to a second daughter, Kathryn Marie Rose. In 1983, after several years of physical abuse due to alcoholism, she left and divorced her husband. In Jan 1982 she took a promotion to Traffic Control Agent. She still wrote parking tickets and collected money from the parking meters but in addition she directed traffic at the new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome as well as in intersections in the central business district of downtown Minneapolis. The job would eventually entail directing traffic wherever an agent was needed in the entire City. In April, 1984, Pamela accepted another promotion to Assistant Supervisor of Traffic Control. Her responsiblities included monitor events such as football and baseball games, creating employee schedules and learning the position of Supervisor of Traffic Control. The position involved a minimal amount of travel out of state to attend seminars and product conventions as well.

It was in the fall of 1984, that she married David George Selinski, who she met at her job. During her time as assistant supervisor, Pamela returned to college. She attended night school at North Hennepin Community College and obtained an associates degree in liberal arts in 1989. She went on to attend Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota and obtained a bachelor of arts focusing in History in June 1993. Her first grandson, Brandon, was born on December 1, 1997. Pamela was elated. She took care of Brandon every other weekend because his parents both worked the same shift. In Jan 1998, Pamela was promoted to Supervisor of Traffic Control for the City of Minneapolis. The unit was housed in a parking garage on 3rd Avenue So and 11th Street, the site of the old Leamington Hotel. It was also under the Department of Licenses and Consumer Services. Additional duties were placed under traffic control which included the inspection of Minneapolis taxi cabs. Pamela's second grandson, Blake, was born to her daughter, Jennifer. Unfortunately it became to much for Pamela to watch both the boys for the entire weekend and so the parents started working opposite weekends. But Pamela would still spend a lot of time with those little boys that brought so much joy to her life.

In 2006 the Traffic Control Unit became part of the Minneapolis Police Department under Chief of Police Timothy Dolan. Pamela was now responsible for a staff of 44 which included an Assistant Supervisor, 5 Traffic Control Agent II's (foreman), 36 Traffic Control Agents and 2 clerical staff. In order to get the required, by ordinance, taxi cab inspections completed and not to interrupt the new staff's training, she and the assistant supervisor went and did the taxi inspections. She would do inspections from 8 am until 3:30 pm and then go to her office and check to make sure there was nothing that needed to be handled immediately. On May 21, 2007 at 1:00pm Pamela began the afternoon taxi inspections. She was talking with and showing a driver, that had been pulled out of service because his tail lights didn't work, what needed to be done to get a reinspection. All of a sudden she heard gravel flying. She half turned to see what the problem was and had just enough time to push the taxi driver out of the way and jump on to the hood of the taxi that had driven full force into the other taxi. Unfortunately Pamela's left leg did not clear the bumper of the two taxi's. The force of the one taxi pressing again the bumper of the second taxi with her leg in between caused the left leg to be severed below the knee. Pamela was taken to North Memorial Medical Center where the remnants of the lower part of her left leg were amputated. The next day the doctor, Dr. Andrew Arthur came to her hospital room and explained that her knee was damaged badly and he could try to stabilize it but that she would need at least 7 more surgeries and skin grafts and he couldn't promise anything or he could amputate above the knee. After some discussion with her husband, David, they came to the conclusion that they would have Dr. Arthur amputate above the knee and forego the skin grafts and additional surgeries. Pamela spent 5 and a half weeks in the hospital recovering as well as rehabing from this tragedy. Pamela returned to her job part time in November 2007 and returned full time in April 2008. In January of 2009 Pamela retired from her position with the City of Minneapolis after 36.5 years of service. In October 2009, her youngest daughter, Katy, married Andrew Kaminsky. In just a couple of years, Andy and Katy gave her another grandson, Cohen Drew. Then in 2013, Asher Dean Kaminsky was born. For Pamela there is no greater joy than being a grandma to 4 amazing boys as well as a mom to her 3 children. Jennifer is a nurse, Brian is a janitor and Katy is a teacher. I am so proud of them all. Her husband David and she share their time between a home in Maple Grove, Minnesota and a home in The Villages, Florida.

Sources

• First-hand information. Entered by Pamela Jackson at registration.
• Jackson, Pamela, First-hand information