InTucker Magazine

Ask Rip

Rip Robertson is the Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Tucker.

Over the last three decades in our great City of Tucker, many things have changed. But one thing you can count on staying the same is our beloved Louisa Joseph. Many of you know her as Miss Louisa. If nostalgia leads you back to the Tucker Recreation Center, you will see Miss Louisa at the front desk and instantly remember a time that she greeted you on the way to your gymnastics practice, after school program, pottery, dance, or martial arts class.

Many of you asked me over the last few years if Miss Louisa still works for the Tucker Recreation Center. The answer is a resounding “yes”.

Since many in the community have such fond memories with Miss Louisa here at the Recreation Center, I wanted to share her story with the whole Tucker community. In 1981, after graduating college with a Psychology and Humanities degree in her home country of Pakistan, she moved to the United States where she married and settled in Brookhaven. Miss Louisa is married with a son, daughter and three beautiful grandchildren.

Her first professional job in the U.S. was working for a childcare facility for $3.45 per hour. In 1990, she started working for DeKalb County Parks and Recreation as a Recreation Assistant at Briarwood and then Mason Mill Park before settling here at the Tucker Recreation Center. For 31 years, she has walked the halls of the Rec Center keeping kids safe, engaging in after school programming, and meeting many members of the community. When I was newly joining Tucker, it was clear from Day One how much the community loved and supported Miss Louisa, as I received numerous solicitations asking if she would join the Tucker Parks and Rec team. Equally, Louisa loves this community as she tells the staff often that she stayed in Tucker because she gets to enjoy all ages and diverse groups at the Rec Center.

Last year, Miss Louisa retired from DeKalb County School District as a para-pro at Hightower Elementary. She has always been one to read and does not miss a morning mass; even during the pandemic she would watch it virtually. New to retirement from her full-time job, she is looking forward to spending more time in the garden, attending our Tucker Parks and Rec Senior Outings, and of course working here at the Recreation Center.

We welcome you to stop by the Rec Center to thank Miss Louisa for 31 years of service to the Tucker community!