White Honored For 50 Years Of Rotary Service
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Tommy White was caught off guard last Tuesday when he realized a social gathering organized by the Water Valley Rotary Club was actually a surprise party to celebrate his dedication for 50 years of Rotary service.
WATER VALLEY – The Water Valley Rotary Club surprised longtime Rotarian Tommy White with a party to celebrate a big milestone – 50 years of Rotary service. White was among almost 50 attendees at the gathering last Tuesday night at The Magnolia Coffee Co. and the only person who was unaware of the real reason they had assembled.
Longtime Rotarian Phyllis Goodwin explained White thought he was attending a routine Rotary social gathering. Rotary President Tyler Hill had the honor of breaking the big news as the party started.
Water Valley Rotarian (right) is pictured with (from left) his daughter, Valery Ward; his wife, Linda White; and granddaughter, Lauren Ward.
“He has served both the Water Valley Rotary Club and Rotary District 6800 for 50 years. We didn’t want to pass up this opportunity to show our gratitude to him for his loyalty, hard work and dedication to the Rotary Club,” Hill said.
The surprise was one of few times White was almost at a loss for words, but not for long.
“Thank y’all for putting up me that long,” he quickly quipped.
White’s eyes got a little moist when he realized a few special guests were hiding around the corner, awaiting Hill’s announcement. His daughter, Valarie Ward, flew in from Texas and his favorite granddaughter, Lauren Ward, drove over from Starkville. Other surprise guests were Rotary officials from District 6800.
June 4, the date of the party, was also the date when White attended his first Rotary meeting in 1967. Stanley Perkins, who was mayor at the time, sponsored White for his induction into the club.
“My father, Bill White, was the one who said it best to me as I was coming along in life,” White added. “He said, ‘Son you should not always be a taker, you should always be a giver.’ The Water Valley Rotary Club has afford me the opportunity to do what my father suggested.”
White’s Rotary accomplishments are lengthy, but one his greatest privileges was heading the Presidents-elect Training Seminar (PETS) for District 6800 for several years. In this position, he helped train Rotary presidents at clubs representing thousands of members.
He also served as District Governor for 2013-2014. He explained that he agreed to serve as district governor if the Water Valley Rotary Club would help host a district conference.
“Every member of our club attended that district conference and helped host it in Tupelo,” White added.
White has also helped with countless Rotary Youth Leadership Conferences and reported that his daughter met her future husband as a Rotary delegate at one of the conferences years ago.
“There is an old adage that says it takes a village to raise up a kid. I am a product of that good saying. The people of Water Valley have been kind to me and family. Water Valley is a town to get married in. Water Valley is a place to raise your kids.”
