So long, Juanita
Greensboro's longtime city clerk retired Thursday.
City staff, council members and former public officials toasted Juanita French Cooper, who has served 30 years with the city.
"It's been a wonderful ride," she said Thursday at her retirement party.
Councilwoman Mary Rakestraw sang a little tune for her. Former City Manager Ed Kitchen wrote her a poem. Former Mayor Keith Holliday offered her a new job running the concession stand at the Carolina Theater.
"It's the things behind the scenes that literally keep us propped up," Holliday said. "This woman doesn't make mistakes."
Her colleagues said Cooper has been an unflappable professional who worked overtime to get the job done right. When she goes off into retirement, she is taking a lot of city secrets with her, they said.
Even a fellow local writer had nice things to day about her.
"Sometimes, on rare occasions, we try to get things right," said the Rhino Times' John Hammer. "If we absolutely had to get things right about the city, we could go to Juanita."
We agree, she was a reliable source. And that's the highest compliment from a reporter.
So long, Juanita. Good luck on the next chapter.
Comments (1)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
Juanita was as gracious, kind, organized, and loyal a person as I've ever met. She was devoted to this City and I am grateful for her many years of service. She served as an example of a true public servant. I learned a great deal from her. She will be missed. I wish her the very best.
Posted on July 31, 2008 8:50 PM