"Happy" White

Mary Tefft “Happy” White was born in Syracuse, N.Y. and moved to Barrington in 1954 with her husband, the late John Hazen White, president of TACO Inc. and their five children. An accomplished artist and patron of the arts, she inaugurated a school art program in the early 1960s at St. Andrews School, Barrington while serving as president of their Board of Trustees. In 1993, she donated funds to the school to design and build the Happy White Gallery to showcase the work of local artists. As board member of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, she launched a popular children’s concert series. She was also active in the Barrington Preservation Society, the American Red Cross, and Johnson & Wales University. Earning her B.A. in Fine Arts from Roger Williams University at the age of 60, Happy subsequently received an honorary degree and helped launch the Mary Tefft White Cultural Center Lecture Series in the university library. She selected speakers whose life challenges had helped them develop the skills necessary to achieve in leadership and service. Above all else, “Happy” lived up to her name. She understood the nature of friendship, knew how to smooth troubled waters, and brought a positive viewpoint to every situation. Artist Maxwell Mays said of her: “I don’t know anybody who can appreciate art or fan its spark into creativity as well as Happy White.”

Biography and image provided by Barbara Hail, Barrington Preservation Society