School Board Honors Former DWS Principal and Cafeteria Manager

The DeKalb County Board of Education Thursday night voted to honor two persons who served DeKalb West School for many years.
Second District Member Jerry Wayne Johnson made a motion that a plaque be placed in the new cafeteria in memory of the late Georgia Young, who served as cafeteria manager until her death three and a half years ago. Young worked in the school system for almost 40 years.
Johnson also moved that a plaque be placed in the new safe wing at the West School in honor of former Principal Danny Parkerson in recognition of his 37 year education career.
“As you know, the board before us added onto the West School. We’re very proud of it and it is very nice. And as all of you know we had a cook over the whole cafeteria for years, Mrs. Georgia Young. I’d love to see us put a plaque up in her memory in the cafeteria. And Mr. Parkerson has retired. He taught in the school system for 37 years. I’d love to see a plaque put up in his honor in the safe wing. I put that in the form of a motion,” said Johnson.
The school board unanimously adopted Johnson’s motion.
According to her daughter, Young started working for the school system in the cafeteria at the Liberty Elementary School in the fall of 1972. She became cafeteria manager at DeKalb West School from the time the school opened in the fall of 1974 until she died on March 15, 2011. Young started the 2010-11 school year but became ill in August 2010 and had to leave her job. She never officially retired and was still an employee at the time of her death.
Parkerson’s first teaching job was in Smith County. ” I started out for two years at Forks River in Smith County. I came to DeKalb West in the 1978-79 year,” Parkerson told WJLE. After joining the staff at DWS, Parkerson became the girls basketball coach and later took on the boy’s program as well. Parkerson became principal of DWS during the mid 1990s.