Her royalty became reality with the arrival of the “king” — an Elvis impersonator, in the form of co-worker John White. He arrived clad in white satin and sporting a cape with gold embellishment. He crowned the honoree, draped his cape around her shoulders, and lavished her with a kiss, among other endearments.
His arrival left DSS personnel and their guests rolling in laughter, a final entertainment before refreshments were served and the party broke up.
Beth Duncan, county social services director, said her department is usually modest when it comes to partying, but this time the agency rolled out the red carpet for Douglas, whose tenure is one of the longest in recent history. Duncan called this lengthy a tenure an unusual achievement for the department.
Duncan reminded the gathering that Douglas came to work as a typist and worked in DSS administration until her retirement as an accounting technician II. She is the first employee to retire since the department moved into the Carriage Oaks facility, where, for the first time in more than 10 years, all DSS personnel are housed under one roof.
The occasion also marked the inauguration and dedication of the retirement wall, where plaques are mounted to mark the retirement of employees. Douglas’ plaque is the first to go up.
“You’re the first retirement from our DSS family,” Duncan said. “We stand high on your shoulders.”
Gladerine Dean, chairwoman of the Social Services Board, welcomed everyone, and Brenda Robinson, family and children’s Medicaid supervisor, gave the prayer of dedication.
Kimmie Dowdy, accounting supervisor, presented the retirement plaque to Douglas.
“In her heart, Elvis the king will live forever,” said Duncan of Douglas.
In all the years that Douglas worked in the accounting office, “Solomon’s wisdom could not be better,” Duncan added.
Janet Parris, administrative supervisor, added her commendation for Douglas’ “superb handling (of) the agency’s money.”
Then the fun began with a musical ensemble of DSS employees singing an old Elvis favorite, accompanied on the guitar by Sharon McDonald of Children’s Services.
In real life, White is an Adult Services social worker. He is an Elvis impersonator as a hobby.
Duncan said that although the Wednesday, March 31, was Douglas’ last day on the job, she worked after hours that day.
It was her way of making sure the county and the state got its money’s worth, just as she had done for the previous three years.
In retirement, Douglas plans to travel. She lives with her mother, Rosa Douglas, in Carthage, where she attends First Baptist Church. She is engaged to marry Coy Gladden Jr. of Carthage.
