Jane White: A Tribute to a Life of Courageous Leadership and Heartfelt Civic Service

The Lynchburg community spent much of June reflecting on the life of Jane White, a beloved community steward known for her numerous improvement projects across the city. After learning about her extensive contributions, the impact she had, and the countless lives she touched, it is clear that the reflection on Jane White's legacy will continue for a long time to come.

Jane White, a devoted student of history, had an immense passion for inspiring others to learn about the history of Lynchburg, a city she dearly loved. Her legacy is prominently seen in the 61 historical markers she helped set up, many of which highlight the significant stories of women and people of color in the Lynchburg area. These markers line the streets of the city, offering residents and visitors alike the opportunity to gain experience something new simply by walking or driving through downtown.

City Councilman Sterling Wilder, representing the city’s Second Ward, commented on White's enduring impact by telling WSET: “You know, if you have passion about something, you want to share that passion, so obviously she had a passion for history. She brought history back to life through the markers, through educating the community, through knowledge, and when you have knowledge, you have power.” White's dedication to preserving and sharing Lynchburg's history has empowered the community and ensured that important stories are not forgotten.

In a 2018 interview, Jane credited her time as a landscape designer at the Anne Spencer Garden in Lynchburg’s Pierce Street Renaissance neighborhood, to inspire her approach. In the early 1980s, she was contacted by the daughter of Lynchburg native Chauncey Spencer, who happened to be one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, a group of Black pilots who fought and served during World War II. The Spencer family wanted the Anne Spencer Garden restored to its original appearance there, and White took upon this job enthusiastically. She said then, “It changed my life. That one visit, that one day. I never had anything speak to me so, I knew how to restore that garden.”

White’s most impactful project was the restoration of Lynchburg’s historic Old City Cemetery, which had been in disrepair since the 1980s, as drugs, crime, and prosecution had gone unaddressed in the community. Over a lunchtime conversation in 1980, White and three of her friends were given an unsolicited commission through the Southern Memorial Association to care for a section of the city-owned cemetery, with the premise that the four women reportedly had relatives buried in the cemetery. For more than two decades after, beginning in 1985, Jane led a series of projects renovating the entire cemetery and transforming it into a scenic park that draws thousands of visitors yearly.

 White’s vision in renovating the property was rooted strongly in her love for gardening, as well as a deep interest in horticulture, as she and the other women planted dozens of antique roses across the grounds, regardless of challenges, such as dealing with the aftermath of a storm in 1993 that toppled dozens of trees, criminal activity from drug dealers and trying to identify who was buried in the cemetery and where, White raised over $1.5 million, along with a multitude of in-kind gifts as the cemetery’s Landscape Designer and Restoration chairman.

 Jane would go on to write three books highlighting her work, The Book of Attributes of the Living Horticultural Collections of the Old City Cemetery Museums and Arboretum (2008), Once Upon a Time – a Cemetery Story, and Lessons Learned from a Poet’s Garden, The Restoration of the Historic Garden of Harlem Renaissance Poet Anne Spencer (2011), as well as many local and national magazine articles and various brochures for civic projects.

Furthermore, White served on many other civic projects, including the chairwoman of restorations at the Yoder Community Center and Auburey Barbour Park and playground, co-chairperson of a project with the YWCA to renovate the Phillis Wheatley Center for battered women and was chairperson for a series of antique, rare art collections at E.C. Glass High School.

In addition, she earned a series of noteworthy awards for her civic service and community leadership, including the 1989 Massie Medal, the highest award of the Garden Club of Virginia of which she was a member, received a Humanitarian Award with her husband in 1988 from the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, and in 2008, she received the Brownson Award, the highest award from the Virginia Association of Museums.

Charlie White, one of Jane’s children, who currently serves as an investment advisor at Pettyjohn, Wood, and White in Lynchburg, remarked just how grateful the White family is for the extraordinary outpouring of support from across the Lynchburg community, in part because Jane’s legacy affected such a diverse group of people. He shared that some of Jane’s work came from segregated areas and neighborhoods her peers never took the time to visit, leading to some of the most meaningful relationships she ever developed throughout her life.

Furthermore, he noted that Jane worked on several other projects that haven’t gotten as much recognition, such as building the first animal shelter for the Lynchburg Humane Society in the 1960s, co-chairing the first Central Virginia Speech and Hearing Center in the 1970s, was a member of the Junior League of Lynchburg for a decade and served alongside the “Keep Lynchburg Beautiful” non- profit service organization for eleven years.

However, the best thing about Jane White, as detailed by her son, is that she was an incredible family woman who was constantly there for those whom she loved. Whether it was a single sporting event, play, or school activity, “Jane never missed anything, she was always present as a parent, and made it a point to structure all her community activities so she could be there for our family.”

Jane White passed away on June 17th, but her legacy and impact on Lynchburg will be honored and remembered for generations. Jane’s love for Lynchburg and her dedication to its community can perhaps be best remembered by her simple quote, “I just like Lynchburg.” This sentiment, along with the countless lives she touched and the projects she championed, ensures that her spirit will remain an enduring part of Lynchburg’s history.