Jametta White Martin

Jametta Isadora White was born and raised in Charleston; the daughter of Rev. James Wofford and Lula J. Morton White. Her father, Rev. J.W. White was the pastor of Memorial Baptist Church on Alexander Street for years; the family lived in the parsonage next door to the church. Jametta’s first grades of schooling were at the Wallingford Academy and the Mary Street School through the 4th grade. In the 5th grade she started at Avery Normal Institute, and graduated valedictorian in the Class of 1940. In her junior/senior year she was “Miss Avery.” In those days, the student who sold the most candy-bars in their annual “Lincoln Fund” was crowned Miss Avery. While at Avery she distinguished herself academically and for having a gift for music. She was/is an accomplished pianist, known for playing at numerous Avery programs and performed a personal piano recital during her senior year. During her high school years, a very close family friend from Moncks Corner, Virgie Evans (Shokes), came to live with her family. Both girls excelled at Avery and formed a life-long sisterhood. Both Jametta and Virgie attended Talladega College (Talladega, AL) in the early 1940s. Today, Talladega holds the distinction as Alabama's oldest private historically black liberal arts college. Jametta became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and graduated from Talladega in 1945. Her father died in July 1944, he did not live to see her graduate from college. Soon thereafter Jametta and her mother moved to the Washington area to live with family relatives.

Jametta taught “music” for a year at Talladega before going to Oberlin College (Oberlin, OH) for her Master’s in Music (Organ) 1946-1948. With her Master’s in Music, Jametta returned to Talladega to teach (organ & music) for four years. Then she returned to Washington (1952) and began her musical teaching career at Bowie (then Maryland State Teachers College at Bowie). She taught music at St. Augustine’s College for a year and resumed teaching at Washington schools; Eastern H.S., Dunbar H.S. and Roosevelt Senior H.S. She retired from teaching in 1980.

In 1957 she married fellow Charlestonian, Harold S. Martin (D.D.S.), in Newark, NJ. Harold was from James Island, (SC); they knew each other socially from his college days in Howard’s Dental School. The couple were proud members of the Charleston Club for years before his untimely death in 1984. Jametta was an organist at St. Luke's Episcopal Church (1514 15th Street, NW) for over 35 years (1969-2005); today she lives a very active life in her N. Capitol St. home. Her son, Harold “Gregory” Martin lives in the Laurel, MD area with her two grandchildren.

She is always present at Club meetings and functions; active in her religious life and her bowling club activities.

Arrangements under the direction of Joseph Gawler's Sons LLC, Washington, DC.