Revere School Committee Pays Tribute to Carol White

At last week’s School Committee Meeting Revere School Superintendent Dr. Dianne Kelly led the committee in a special tribute to longtime school administrator Carol White.

White, who had been with Revere Public Schools for nearly four decades, died following a brief battle with cancer on Wednesday, Nov. 15.  For the past 20 years White was in charge of the RPS’s Central Office.

“I’m going to try to do this without getting upset but clearly it’s very hard,” said an emotional Kelly at last Tuesday’s meeting. “We lost a tremendous asset in the Revere Public Schools last Wednesday (Nov. 15) when Carol White who had been with the school district for 38 years unfortunately lost a very quick battle with cancer.”

Kelly said White had been battling the disease since August.

“Carol was an unbelievable personality and an unbelievable person,” said Kelly. “Her heart and her mind and her dedication was to this school district for the full 38 years she worked here.”

Kelly said for the last 20 years White was the person in charge of RPS’s Central Office and credited her as the person who enabled school staff and teachers to do their jobs every day.

“She kept us on task she kept us on track she kept everything organized she helped us in so many ways that I can not describe,” said Kelly.

Kelly said on the night she was confirmed by the School Committee to become Dr. Paul Dakin’s successor, White was the first to offer words of comfort to Kelly’s family.

“I can still remember the night that I was voted by this body to become the successor to Paul Dakin and my family was here,” Kelly said. “Carol went up to them after the meeting and said to my mother, ‘Don’t worry about her, I’m going to take care of her.’ It’s not the easiest job to have and Carol knew I would be suffering the same slings and arrows that sometimes comes with the position. When I tell you she took care of me it was like having another mother. She took care of me professionally, but, she also took care of me personally.”

Kelly said White was not only a tremendous friend to her but also to the entire staff at RPS and was known as a behind the scenes operative that got the job done without praise or fanfare.

“Carol had done things behind the scenes that people will never understand how much it helped the kids that grow up in this city,” said Kelly. “Carol was one of those few people that dedicated their entire profession to this kind of work and I, the staff here and the students have benefited from everything she has given us over the past four decades.”