Linsky Helps Honor Angela White

NATICK - Angela White, barely 5 feet tall and 84 years old, doesn't look the part of a mighty protector. But this tiny grandmother can stop sport utility vehicles speeding down Route 27 with a single glare. Local legend says she once threw herself into the icy path of a rogue snowplow that came too close for comfort.

For 45 years, this woman has single-handedly shepherded three generations of Johnson Elementary School children across one of the most hazardous streets in town. Over four decades, Mrs. White, as she is known to all, crossed thousands of Natick's children, including her own children and grandchildren.

Regular commuters on Route 27 may not have known her name, but nearly all learned to slow down and respect her crosswalk.

Driving south out of Natick Center while yapping on a cellphone? Speeding northward from Sherborn during school hours? You probably got a disciplinary finger wag and "the look," as Mrs. White's son, Jim, of Millis, describes it, a ferocious frown that said "Go ahead, make my day" more effectively than Clint Eastwood.

"Everyone knows the look," said Jim White, an environmental health specialist for the town of Natick.

Mrs. White, generally accompanied by her 87-year-old husband, James, a retired Natick postal worker, was a mainstay at the corner of Route 27 and Walcott Street. Before and after the school bell, she would chat with parents and children, always keeping an eagle eye for reckless drivers.

When Mrs. White started crossing her own three children in the 1960s at the now-closed Coolidge School up the street, nearly all Natick schoolchildren walked to school and went home for lunch. Today, Johnson is the town's last primary school where most students walk to classes, making Mrs. White's role all the more crucial, school officials and parents said.

At a farewell ceremony on Tuesday, Johnson's 250 students in grades K-4, and many of their parents, gathered in the school auditorium.

"Your core mission hasn't changed much at all," said Barbara Brown, the school's principal. "Because of you, Johnson schoolchildren arrive safe and ready to learn."

Kindergartners presented their favorite crossing guard with a red stop sign declaring, "Stop and enjoy your retirement!"

Then, they performed what might go down in Natick history as the Mrs. White victory cry: "Stop, look and listen before you cross the street! First you use your eyes and ears! Then you use your feet!" The chant concluded with the sound of 25 pairs of little feet stomping in delight.

The third grade chose to express its sentiments in verse, reciting: Mrs. White, it has been our delight, You keep us safe and sound as you wave your arms around. You were there in rain and snow. We will miss you as it is your time to go.

State Representative David Linsky, a Natick Democrat, offered a proclamation from the Legislature thanking her for her 45 years of service, saying, "Mrs. White is one of Natick's true treasures."

Johnson School crossing duties were passed down last month to Robin Murray, who was crossed as a child by Mrs. White. Murray, 41, requested a transfer from her post at Lilja Elementary when the Johnson post became available this fall. Now, she gets to cross her own son, Cody, a Johnson fourth-grader.

"I love the school and being part of the history here," she said.

Mrs. White had little to say during her retirement gala, although her eyes glistened with pleasure while children serenaded her with a Joe Cocker song, "You Are So Beautiful To Me."

Then it was time for one final encore.

"Mrs. White, could you cross us all one more time?" Brown asked.

Arm-in-arm with her son, Natick Deputy Fire Chief Rick White, and her grandson, Johnson fourth-grader Rick Jr., Mrs. White returned to her crosswalk one last time.

The entire Johnson student body lined up to let her wave them across Route 27 and back onto school grounds.

Traffic could wait.