I have had the privilege over the last several months of interviewing Simpson County residents who have seen their lifelong dreams come to fruition.
Joe White, owner of White’s Picket Fence Books in Mendenhall, is an example of never giving up on a dream; he turns 80 on November 22, 2023.
White was a journalist most of his life employed at various newspapers including The Simpson County News. He spent 29 years at The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss., before being laid off in 2016. It was that year he opened his bookstore. “I have collected books for 40 years. When I got laid off it was the ideal opportunity for me to open a bookstore like I’d always wanted,” he said.
He is an avid reader as is evident by the three books sitting on the table near his chair at Picket Fences. In addition, White has three books on his dining room table at home, and he keeps one in his truck to pass the time in the pickup line when he gets his grandchild from school. In fact White has read many of the books he has in his store.
“I enjoy nonfiction more than anything else; it’s the biggest section I’ve got in here,” he said.
In 1958 White’s family moved from Pinola to Mendenhall when his father’s store burned down. With no insurance, James Alton White, Sr. sold their house, moved his family and found a rental for $40 a month. Joe said with a chuckle that rent was cheap back then.
His father got into insurance and recovered financially. He also did a stint in the Mississippi legislature as a representative from 1960 to 1964. However, he voted for the legalization of liquor not because he drank but rather he wanted to see taxes collected fairly and honestly. Joe said, “That was that.”
After high school graduation White went to Hinds Community College for two years, 1961-1963, before enrolling at the University of Mississippi. He completed a bachelor’s degree in journalism and business and a master’s degree graduating in 1967. He also taught journalism at Ole Miss as a graduate student.
From there White went to Delta State University, where he also taught journalism and English. In addition, he taught at Coahoma Community College, which is considered a HBCU, historically black college or university. White talked about those days during integration. “It was a black community college up that way. There were five of us white teachers then. You would think late 70’s would be a kind of touchy tough time for a community integrating, but it went remarkably well; never had any problems.”
During those days in North Mississippi, White was an editor of weekly newspapers. “I did two or three stints and it taught me I did not want to be the head of a weekly newspaper! It was not bad, it just felt like I didn’t have enough time to live. You work for a weekly newspaper, it takes every bit of your time and four more hours a day and you still won’t be caught up.”
He also lived in New Orleans for about ten years working for the New Orleans Public Service, writing all of the employee publications. White also worked for the Times-Picayune while in NOLA. He returned to Mendenhall in 1980 when his father developed cancer.
After Mr. White’s death at the end of the year, Joe wanted to return to journalism and was hired by The Clarion Ledger, where he worked for 29 years, mostly for their afternoon paper. The Ledger was the morning publication at that time. During his tenure there he was a staff writer and columnist before moving to the editorial department.
“I really enjoyed working with the people I worked with. I started on the copy desk writing headlines, editing stories and went from there to managing editor on the Daily News.” The Clarion Ledger and Jackson Daily News merged in 1989.
White also tells the story of being one of the last printer’s devils. “I would go downstairs in the basement and fire up what we called the hell box that was so hot it just about made you pass out. I would take all the metal that had been used for that week for the paper and melt it. The ink would all rise to the top and burn off. I’m one of the few printer’s devils still around.”
He shared one story after another. White has led a fascinating and varied life. He has traveled extensively, living for a year in Europe when the plan had been to stay three months.
He described Mendenhall when it had an active, thriving downtown. White believes the economy is responsible for its downfall. “It will never be the same because the economy will never be the same and that’s all based on family size. The fact that most people have to go to Jackson to go to work these days like I did for 29 years, it automatically changes your spending in your home town.” He pointed out that work commuters will often stop by the grocery or hardware store near work to pick up what they need before heading home.
White lived during the days of segregation and integration. He recounted a story of a co-worker at The Simpson County News, Maybelle, their mutual love of chicken livers and how he learned that life was not fair.
For lunch, he said, they would both get an order from a local restaurant where White entered the front and Maybelle always went to the back.
He said, “I finally noticed that Maybelle would get about twice as much as I would get; that may be where I first started learning the facts of life.”
He found out they were paying the same price for the meals. “She said ‘just let me know when you get hungry for some and I’ll pick them up’ and henceforth I let her go pick them up from the back door. Her answer to me was ‘if you were a person who was allowed to work in the kitchen and that was the only place you could go and you weren’t allowed to speak to anybody or go up front…your friends who were the same color as you were made to come to the back door and not sit down…who would you give those extra foods too?’ I said, ‘I got it, Maybelle.’ That’s life right there… We’re actually doing better with that.”
