Uncrowned Community Builders

Theresa J. White was born in Buffalo, New York. Her parents, Miles and Gladys White, moved to Buffalo from Memphis, Tennessee. She had one sister, Muriel White Sobers. Theresa was a graduate of the Buffalo Public Schools. After high school, she attended Virginia State College. She graduated from college with a major in Business and Sociology. She returned to Buffalo after college and was employed for 40 years by the Erie County Department of Social Services as a case worker and supervisor. When Buffalo launched its Model Cities Program in the late 1960s, the Department of Social Services placed her, on loan, to work with Model Cities.

Early in life Theresa showed great interest in music. She was blessed with a beautiful voice. Her passion for music was fostered and developed as she sang in her church choir, in citywide choral groups and in the college choir of Virginia State University. She was an outstanding soloist with the Jesse Nash 10 Voice Choir of Buffalo. She had a flair for art and produced several pieces, some of which were shared with friends and family.

During the civil rights era, Ms. White was active in numerous community organizations. She was a volunteer with Rev. James T. Hemphill's Walls Memorial Cultural Center. She was a member of the board of directors of Walls pre-school program. That program became a demonstration program to justify what would become the Western New York Head Start Program. When the U.S. Economic Opportunity Act was passed, a community action organization was set up in Buffalo. Ms. White served on the professional advisory board. Many of the papers in the Buffalo Model Cities Program, and the Buffalo Civil Rights Era Papers were collected and preserved by Ms. White during her involvement with those organizations. She was a member of the Buffalo branch NAACP board of directors; a supervisor with the Erie County Child Welfare Services; board member of the Opportunities Industrialization Center (O.I.C.) of Buffalo and Erie County; board member of the St. Augustine Center; and a board member of the Lower West Side Task Force.

In addition to being active in community and civil rights groups, Ms. White was also active in her church. She served as superintendent of the Sunday school at St. Philip's Episcopal Church. She was also a member of the Episcopal Church Women. She chaired the Board of the Vestry of Ascension Episcopal Church, and was a member of St. Philip's Board of Vestry. Ms White is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Ms. White is a well read and scholarly person. Her home is literally a private library with bookshelves in every room. She has books on topics that include anthropology, sociology, music, literature, history, and current topics. She has a special interest in African American studies. One of her dream projects was to write a history of African Americans in Buffalo. Many of the papers in her Model Cities, and Civil Rights Era collections were collected with that in mind. She also wrote poetry. She wrote a volume of poetry based mainly on hr personal and spiritual life.

Children were a special love for Theresa. She has a niece, the Reverend Canon Patricia Mitchell and a grand niece, Andrea Mitchell who loved her and will miss her greatly. Her front porch was always filled with toys, games, puzzle books for neighborhood children and those who came to visit. She has several godchildren and treated them with her love and generosity. As a Sunday School Teacher, Theresa developed a curriculum complete with illustrations explaining the sacraments and Bible stories.

Theresa is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery.