Henderson honors legacy of Sue Shelton White

HENDERSON, Tenn. — Living in West Tennessee, you’ve probably heard the name Sue Shelton White.

She grew up in Chester County.

“She went on to become the first female attorney in Jackson, Tennessee, and really set a path way for women in the future,” Emily Johnson, the Executive Director of the Henderson-Chester Co. Chamber of Commerce, said.

She was also a big player in getting the 19th Amendment ratified 100 years ago, giving women the right to vote.

So, the city wanted to do more to honor her legacy. They wrapped one of the red light control boxes with her picture and information about her accomplishments.

Three boxes are decorated: one celebrating Freed-Hardeman University’s Lady Lions winning the NAIA tournament in 2018 and another with the Chester County Eagle.

Henderson Mayor Bobby King says he came up with the idea to wrap the boxes after seeing something similar in Nashville.

“If you’re going east on West Main, and you come over the hill going to the high school, you see that eagle looking at you,” Mayor King said. “I thought that was really neat, doing that for teams coming to play us. When they come over that hill they see that eagle.”

They’ve got plans to wrap another one at Main Street and the U.S. 45 Bypass.

“I hope they understand we have a sense of pride about our community. That we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished and we’re proud of our history,” Johnson said.

The city is still working on the design for the next control box.