Shoots, Jean.

Jean McDonald Shoots, an African-American nurse, volunteer, writer, and performer, was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on April 12, 1926. During the Depression, she lived with her family in a tent community in Dennison, Iowa, where men were constructing buildings for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

As a girl, Jean Shoots and her sisters performed in their own radio show in Marshalltown, Iowa. After receiving her degree in registered nursing from Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York, Shoots spent most of her career as a registered nurse for the Veterans' Hospital and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

Since her retirement, Shoots has been an active volunteer for a variety of organizations, including the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, the Youth and Elderly Service Program, and the Citizen's Advisory Committee of the Iowa City Press Citizen.

Shoots also became active in the creative arts in Iowa City, writing short stories and performing in public-access television shows.