Page 45 - Alcorn Magazine - Spring, 2019

2018 Alcornite of the Year
Mildrette Netter White
Mildrette Netter White is the
second oldest of ve children born
to J.W. and Clora V. Netter in
Rosedale, Mississippi. She attended
public school in the West Bolivar
County School (WBHS) District,
where her extracurricular actives
included basketball, band, track,
and cheerleading. A 1967 WBHS
graduate, she enrolled in Alcorn State
University in September 1967 on a
work study program. Her desire and
determination to get an education
and make a better life for herself and
her family led her to become the rst
female to receive a track scholarship at
also become the rst and only athlete in 50 years who attended and represented a Mississippi HBCU in the Olympic Games.
White is a 1972 graduate of Alcorn State University with a B.S. in Health and Physical Education and earned an M.S. in Health and Physical Education, Athletic Administration/Coaching, in 1981. She did further studies in Secondary Administration Supervision at Delta State University. e experience, education, and exposure she got, and the extensive travel she undertook, while attending Alcorn prepared her to be successful in her careers as an athlete, classroom teacher, and track coach for 28 years and athletic director for six years. Some of her accomplishments as a coach included being named Delta Valley Conference coach of the year ve times, winning two state titles, and sending several student athletes to Alcorn and other universities on track scholarships.
As an athlete, she received numerous honors and awards, including three stints as All-SWAC and All NAIA; being a member of the AAU international Track and Field team, and two U.S. Olympic Track and Field teams (‘68 and ‘72); winning the gold medal in the 4X100 meter relay at the Mexico City Summer Olympics in 1968; holding the third-best 100-meter time in the
world; being named Female Athlete of the Year by the 100% Wrong Club of Atlanta, Georgia; and participating in the dedication of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. She was inducted into the ASU Hall of Honor - 1992, SWAC Hall of Fame - 1995, ASU A-Club Hall of Fame - 1996, Bob Hays Track Hall of Fame - 2001, Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame – 2003, and Clarksdale/ Coahoma County Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2017, the city of Rosedale, Mississippi, placed a historical marker honoring her on the grounds of She is a recipient of the Metro Jackson
Alcorn. Later, she would
Rosedale Middle School.
Alcorn State Alumni Chapter 2017 Sports Legends Award and SWAC Alumni Association 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award. As a result of her dedication and outstanding commitment to Alcorn, the Alcorn State University track will be named in her honor.
White currently serves her community as president of the Mass choir and Hospitality Ministry of Greater Pleasant Grove Church. She is a member of Delta Sigma eta Sorority, Inc., the ASU National Alumni Association, the ASU A-Club Hall of Fame Board of Directors, and the SWAC Alumni Association, is chairperson of the Montgomery-Carroll-Grenada County Alcorn Alumni Chapter scholarship committee, and is on the Grenada Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Committee and the Finch-Henry Job Corp Center Community Relations Council.
White is the mother of two children, Gyra Mangle – ASU ’94 graduate and Mitchell Graves, and two grandchildren, Galeesa and Gregory Mangle. For the past 10 years, she has been married to her college sweetheart, Willie White. ey currently reside in Grenada, Mississippi.
ALCORN.EDU 43
FOREVER BRAVE