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Gladys Brewer Dixon White Establishes Endowed Scholarship at Northwest

by Sarah Ashley Smith-Hutchinson

Senatobia, MS (06/01/2026) — Northwest alumna and longtime Senatobia resident Gladys Brewer Dixon White recently established the Dixon and White Families Endowed Scholarship at Northwest Mississippi Community College. It was important to Gladys to honor her family, establish a memorial for her husbands, Henry Thomas "H.T." Dixon and William Earl "Bill" White, and to help the next generation of young people in her hometown.

Gladys was born in 1932, and her future husband, H.T. Dixon, was born in 1927, both growing up in Tate County. As a young man, H.T. played football for Tate County Agricultural High School in 1943 before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps in 1944. Gladys first met H.T. in 1949 while working at a local sandwich shop called the Snack Shack. She was only 17 years old at the time, and he was on leave from the Marines. Their connection was immediate, and the two married shortly thereafter. They packed up their lives and traveled around the country, living in Florida and Virginia, where their first son, Michael Thomas Dixon, was born. They also lived in Indiana and North Carolina during H.T.'s military career.

While living in Indiana, Gladys attended cosmetology school. She discovered both a talent and a passion for the work and soon began working as a hairstylist at the school. During these years, H.T. served as a drill instructor in the Marines and even taught himself to play "Taps" on the bugle, revealing his dedication to military tradition. When Michael was six years old, the couple welcomed their second son, Stephen Patrick Dixon. After H.T.'s overseas service and military retirement, the family moved back to their hometown of Senatobia. H.T. took a job at the once-booming Chromcraft Furniture, and Gladys enrolled in the Northwest Cosmetology Program to earn her Mississippi license. She started her own beauty shop, "Kut-N-Kurl", where she faithfully served the community for many years. She continued as a hairstylist until her retirement in 1990.

Along the way, through adventures and almost 50 years of marriage, Gladys and H.T. saw a lot of changes in their small town and in their lives raising their sons. They also experienced the joy of having two grandchildren, Nathan Dixon and Amanda Dixon.

As the chapter of H.T.'s life came to a close, Gladys remained deeply involved with her family, friends, and church family. In time, she met William Earl "Bill" White, who would become her second husband. Bill, like H.T., served in the United States Marine Corps following his high school graduation. He later earned both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Mississippi. Bill spent a distinguished 40-year career with AT&T, serving in administration in the company's Atlanta office from 1953 until his retirement in 1993. Gladys recalled that she first connected with Bill after receiving a phone call from him while speaking with her granddaughter, Amanda. What began as a simple drive through the countryside soon developed into a meaningful friendship that eventually led to marriage. The couple wed in 2002 and enjoyed a happy life together for 15 years.

Reflecting on her life and marriages, Gladys said, "The Lord has blessed me and both of my husbands".

This scholarship prioritizes a Tate County student who is studying HVAC and maintains a 2.5 GPA. The family's connections to the HVAC industry make the scholarship especially meaningful to Gladys' grandson, Nathan, who has built a successful career in HVAC, while his wife, Alee Dixon, serves as an educator in Tate County. This scholarship prioritizes Tate County residents because of the impact Tate County had on Gladys and her family.

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Photos provided by Mrs. Gladys Dixon-White

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