Lucille Jackson Dorsey celebrates 100th birthday
Lucille Jackson Dorsey celebrated her 100th birthday on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022.
Mrs. Dorsey was born on Jan. 6, 1922, in Sumter. After graduating from Lincoln High School, she went on to earn a degree from Morris College in 1943 with a concentration in English. Prior to being offered a teaching position with the opening of the new Bates School in Sumter in 1962, Mrs. Dorsey taught in several counties in South Carolina, always returning home to Sumter on the weekends. She remembers having to "hitch a ride" with the mailman on Fridays after work in order to get home from Florence County.
While teaching English in her classroom one day, the school district superintendent visited and invited her to become the school guidance counselor. By this time, Mrs. Dorsey had received her Master of Arts degree from North Carolina State University and had taken a variety of coursework related to the field of counseling, including psychology, sociology and human growth and development. She continued her studies and completed the requirements for full certification as a guidance counselor.
Mrs. Dorsey was selected to serve on the Governor's Council for Children and Youth.
After 36 years of service, she retired from teaching in 1979. Her post-retirement service includes work with the Sumter School District's Department of Adult Education.
She is an active member of the Sumter Retired Teachers Association and her church, Walker Avenue Church of God.
Mrs. Dorsey is the widow of Wilbert Marion Dorsey. She has one daughter, Darielle Dorsey, four grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Her hobbies include jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, watching baseball and family events.