Toulouse, France, with which Atlanta enjoys one of its oldest Sister City relationships, has something for everyone.
As the headquarters of Airbus and affiliated aerospace companies, it’s a magnet for engineers.
As a medical center, it draws a wide variety of doctors and specialists.
As a vibrant university town, students are flocking there.
Its many festivals and cultural arts performances and its 2,000-year history bring in the tourists.
And then there is the food.
But for the Jackson family, ‘La Ville Rose,’ or the ‘Pink City,’ as it is known because of the pink colored stone out of which many of its buildings have been constructed, it’s all about romance.
Valerie Jackson, the wife of Maynard Jackson, who served three terms as Atlanta’s mayor and is responsible for Toulouse becoming a Sister City, recounted her family’s special relationship with the city during a 40th anniversary party held on the evening of Oct. 29 at the offices of the Atlanta law firm Arnall Golden Gregory LLP.
Speakers on hand included Sarah-Elizabeth Langford Reed, the wife of Mayor Kasim Reed; Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall and Aviv Zonabend, a member of Toulouse’s city council who is in charge of promoting his city’s Sister City relationships.
John Lyons, who serves currently as the U.S. representative for the Toulouse economic development agency Invest in Toulouse, served as the master of ceremonies.
While the members of the Atlanta-Toulouse Sister City Commission and a 100 or so supporters waited for Mrs. Jackson to arrive, there were gifts exchanged with Mr. Hall presenting Mr Zonabend with a proclamation from the City Council.
Mrs. Jackson was warmly greeted when she arrived and recounted extemporaneously the spontaneous trip her father-in-law made from the United States when he was informed that his wife-to-be was thinking of extending her stay in Toulouse to pursue a doctorate in French.
Maynard Jackson developed a strong attachment to the city as his parents did, which led him suggest to Valerie that they renew their marriage vows in the same room at the Capitole, the historic center of the city which houses both the City Hall and National Theater where his parents had married.
The romantic sentiment extended even further down the family line when their eldest daughter, Valerie, was proposed to in the same room in the Capitole where her grandparents were married and her parents renewed their vows.
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