Posted 2:14 am Friday, January 20, 2012
Businessman, 99, Still Active In Club He Helped Organize
By KELLY GOOCH
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
JACKSONVILLE -- Houston White may be one of the oldest Rotarians in the world, but he still enjoys life in East Texas.
At 99 years old, he is an active member of the Rotary Club of Rusk and is grateful he can still drive.
When he's not attending a rotary meeting, he serves as a deacon at First Baptist Church in Rusk or spends time with friends and family.
Last week, he took time to celebrate his 99th birthday with Rotary District 5910 Governor-elect Brenda Walker as well as the Rusk rotary club and members of the Jacksonville rotary club.
Roy Reynolds, a past president of the club, described White as a "God-fearing man" and equated him to "the Energizer Bunny."
"He's just been really a backbone" of the club, Reynolds said. "He's been a steady guiding hand to the club through all the years. He keeps us all on an even keel and allows us to see things through his eyes."
A Rotary International official said the group does not keep track of specific ages of members, but White is "definitely one of the oldest."
Dressed in a suit and cowboy boots Thursday, White made it clear that rotary club has played an important part in his life.
"It's taught me to be a better citizen and to offer services to promote the welfare of the schools and (the community) -- things that were beneficial to the nation," he said.
White was born Jan. 12, 1913, in Colorado City and moved to Jacksonville in 1920. He said his father farmed cotton in West Texas and became interested in tomato farming, which was developing in the Jacksonville area.
His father had a tomato farm about three miles east of Jacksonville and also was an automobile salesman for Forrest Motor Co.
White went through grammar school and attended Jacksonville High School, where he played football.
He doesn't describe himself as a star player, but he did get a scholarship to play on Jacksonville College's new football team.
He said the team only lasted one year. However, he got to be part of the school's basketball team when it won the state junior college championship and ended up graduating in 1937 with an Associate of Arts.
"I went there primarily to get a business degree, but I did get business training," he said.
White said that's as far as his education went because his parents couldn't afford to send him to another school.
After graduation, he worked at the old Liberty Hotel in northeast Jacksonville for several years before going into the military.
He served in the U.S. Navy for nearly four years during the 1940s.
He said once his service ended, he worked at the Liberty Hotel for another year and a half, as a room clerk and at the bus station there.
He didn't make it down to Rusk until he bought into an old hotel there.
"My brother and I were partners in that for two years," he said. But "he (eventually) wanted out, and I took over his part."
White said he ran the hotel on a lease but later got the opportunity to work for the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. He worked out of Austin but had his office at the Rusk State Hospital, where he stayed for 15 years before retiring at age 65.
But White did more than work. He said he helped organize the Rotary Club of Rusk in 1948 because he saw things he liked during Jacksonville rotary meetings, which at the time were held at the Liberty Hotel.
He has since served as a charter member, club secretary, club president and district governor. White is still an active member in Rusk.
During his time with the rotary club, he has addressed 31 clubs in his Rotary International district and was in Lake Placid, N.Y., to receive instructions for becoming a district governor.
He said one thing he enjoyed about his rotary experiences was getting to take four young people on a tour of Australia in the 1960s.
"It was a service club, and we've done numerous services in Rusk since I've been here ..." White said.
Aside from his rotary duties, White has taken time for his church and family.
He was a longtime Sunday school teacher at his church, but he said he stepped away from the position when his second wife, Freddye, moved to a home for the aging in Palestine.
Freddye, a longtime school teacher who he met at Jacksonville College, died in July.
White was married to his first wife, Katherine, for more than 40 years.
He attributed his long life to his faith and healthy habits.
He said he doesn't drink alcohol or use tobacco. He also finds time for exercise through walking and taking care of his yard.
"I thank the Lord every day for my well-being," he said.
