Valena Purvis Lane, a native of Mansfield, and a 62-year resident of Grambling, was born on Valentine’s Day. Her parents named her Valena using the first five letters of Valentine and adding an “a” because her paternal grandmother was named Selena.
When asked about her residency in Grambling, she said, my husband was a former Grambling College student and wanted to return to school. We came to Grambling in 1962 and been here ever since.”
Having reached her 88th birthday, she was always characterized by her, now deceased husband, Lawrence Jack, as “a real sweetheart”, who dedicates her life to serving others and almost never doing any housework.
In 1980, “I became Executive Director of the Grambling Housing Authority. After several weeks of seeing heavily burdened people walk into my office with sad faces and citing so many problems, I had to think of something to say with a big smile that would brighten their little faces as they entered the office,” she said.
“I was already wearing a corsage so I thought the two together would help to create an environment similar to James 1:-3. (Paraphrased: `Greetings. -count it all joy when you fall into trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience’)”, explained Lane. “Greetings to me means ‘It is a joy unspeakable to see and meet you’.”
With her grandmother, Selena, serving as her first-grade teacher, her academic achievements led her to attaining a Master’s Degree and 30 plus hours. She matriculated in public schools such as those of DeSoto Parish, Grambling State University (where she received a band scholarship and had the opportunity of playing clarinet and traveling with the world renowned GSU Tiger Band), San Francisco State College, Northwestern State University and Louisiana Tech University.
She is also certified as a Housing Manager by the National Center for Housing Management in Washington, D.C.
At age 21, Lane began her teaching career in the public-school systems of Webster and Lincoln Parish and at age 41, she experienced her first retirement which lasted for only 15 days.
She moved on to become the secretary and later the Executive Director of the Grambling Housing Authority. Before her retirement from the Housing Authority in 1957, she wrote several grants to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that increased the public housing units from 18 to 98 and received the first Section 8 Program (80 vouchers), which increased the total housing availability to 178. The three public housing complexes have been so named: Liberty Lane, Perkins Lane and West Grambling Lane. She also asked for and received a 15-passenger van so she could transport the residents to church and other local educational events. She is proud of the many educational trips sponsored for the disadvantaged residents which included visits to Dallas, Houston and San Antonio in Texas. The highlight trip was to Disney World in Florida.
Four months after retirement from the Housing Authority, at age 61, she was asked by the late State Representative, Pinkie C. Wilkerson, to serve as Executive Director of a non-profit she organized in 1997, so-named Community Coordinating Council Inc. (CCC)
At Valena’s current age of 88 she is still using her time, talents and resources to help make a difference in the total quality of life for adults and youth through enriching and educational programs. She has used her outstanding leadership ability to organize and direct many educational seminars and trips, and more than 50 Spelling Bee Programs which included the opportunity to escort a C.C.C. winner to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
She has organized trips to two presidential inaugurations in Washington, D. C., Niagara Falls, Toronto, Canada, Branson, Missouri, New York City, Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee, She recently experienced a 10-day tour of the Holy Land in Israel.
Lane is a humble, dedicated individual whose overwhelming cheerful spirit is always glowing through her smiles and laughter, compassion and concern and her warmth and kindness. She is an educator, humanitarian, community activist, civic leader, organizer, public servant and a longtime member of New Rocky Valley Baptist Church where she now serves as Children’s Church Director. She also serves as Secretary of the Trustee Board. She has also been named, “Woman of the Year” for New Rocky Valley and the American Business Women’s Association, Grambling Charter Chapter.
Lane’s multiplicity of awards/citations include the following:
- “The Presidential Citation” awarded in Washington, D.C. by the National Association for Equal Opportunity for Higher Education in recognition of exemplary experiences that honor Grambling State University,
- Extra Mile Award- Louisiana Housing Council
- Distinguished Leadership – Martin Luther King Observance, Grambling State University
- Outstanding Community Service Award from the following organizations:Greater Grambling Chamber of Commerce
And many, many more.
Lane is a former member of the Monroe-Grambling Chapter of the Links, Inc. and currently holds Golden Life Membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She was recently inducted into Pi Gamma Mu International Honors Society as an honorary member. She serves on the Pinkie C. Wilkerson Life Development Center Board of Directors and formerly served on the Board of Directors for Humanitarian Enterprise for Lincoln Parish. She also worked with Friends of the Lincoln Parish Library and found time to serve as a mentor for a student attending the Louisiana State School for the Blind in Ruston.
Her family says, “Round and round she goes, where she’ll stop, Only God knows.”