It’s hard to miss Gloria White out in the Greenwood community. Three years into retirement, she stays heavily involved in town through various volunteering efforts.
“I try to stay busy all the time. I like staying busy,” White said. “If anybody calls wanting something done, they know who to call.”
Born and raised in the small Sharkey County town of Anguilla — “If you blink your eyes, you’ll miss it” — White, 63, graduated from high school in nearby Rolling Fork. She then earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in elementary education at Mississippi Valley State University.
White began her 30-year career in education as an elementary school teacher in Humphreys County. For two years, she taught elementary school in Houston, Texas — but, having come from rural Mississippi, she did not enjoy the traffic she faced while commuting to work.
“I enjoyed living in Houston, but it was a little too fast for me,” White said.
In 2001, after hearing from friends in Greenwood about how great their teaching careers were there, White moved back to Mississippi and taught at Threadgill Elementary until 2008.
She then earned her specialist degree in counseling at Jackson State University and spent the rest of her years in education working as a counselor for the Sunflower County School District until her retirement three years ago.
Retirement “feels great,” she said. “I can do things that I couldn’t do when I was working.”
White volunteers regularly with various community organizations. She has assisted with after-school tutoring through the Greenwood Mentoring Group, served on The Salvation Army’s Board of Directors and has assisted Montrell Greene Ministries with its annual Thanksgiving meal delivery.
As an ambassador with the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce, she’s regularly present at ribbon-cuttings for new businesses and volunteers for events, such as the 300 Oaks Road Race and Bikes, Blues & Bayous. She was recognized as Ambassador of the Year during the chamber’s annual meeting this year.
meeting earlier this year.
She also volunteers for the Greenwood Community Center. Once that facility is open, she’ll help with counseling and exercise classes for students.
White said she’s loved all of her volunteering efforts. She has had to scale back her commitments because of the COVID-19 pandemic but hopes to resume them soon.
“I’m trying to do it, to hang in there,” she said.
Outside of her volunteer work, She enjoys spending time with her husband, Kenneth White, and the six children and eight grandchildren they have together.
•Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
