Jim White has been at the heart of Grinnell’s community for decades, known to students as a dependable shuttle driver, to alumni as the former owner of Bates Flowers and to town residents for his leadership at the Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s the people who make Grinnell special,” White said.
His commitment to the town extends to organizing cherished traditions like the Jingle Bell Holiday in downtown Grinnell’s Central Park.
Since its inception five years ago, White has played an instrumental role in transforming the event from a modest gathering into a beloved winter celebration. “We began with a small budget, and everyone took responsibility for a part of the park’s decorations,” White said.
White’s dedication to the community has not gone unnoticed. In 2000, the graduating Grinnell College class awarded him an honorary degree. Later, an international alumnus who the White family had once hosted honored them by naming a campus dining room “The White Room.”
However, White considers his greatest accomplishment to be simpler: “I am still going, I still like people, I still care and God has been good to me and kept me active.”
He and his wife have hosted more than 35 international Grinnell College students. “I am really proud of our kids, I taught a lot of them how to drive,” White said.
He fondly recalled hearing from one former student, now in Nepal, during Thanksgiving. “Atulya said, ‘I’m thinking of you, Dad,’” White said.
White explained his kindness is rooted in his philosophy of building community.
“What is going to help the world is being nice to people,” White said. “We forgot what it is to be nice to someone. Who knows when someone is having a bad day, if you are nice to them, that might change their whole life.”
That same philosophy shines through in his work as one of the organizers of the annual Jingle Bell Holiday, which has become a beloved Grinnell tradition.
White’s background as a florist came in handy this year with his decoration of a large urn and the gateway into Central Park.
White shared a story about a former Bates Flowers customer who brought two suitcases of pine cones from a Florida trip to contribute to the display. “If we would have had to buy those big pine cones, it would have cost a lot,” White said. “But she picked them up on her walk and brought them back for me to share with the people of Grinnell.”
White said he admires the thriving artistic spirit of the town, which rings bright during the holiday season.
“There are people who share their talents — painting pictures that you can stick your head in at the park,” he said. “It never ceases to amaze me, all the talent in Grinnell.”
The Jingle Bell Holiday, with its free carriage rides and store promotions, is a blend of old-fashioned holiday cheer and community neighborliness. For White, it’s about more than just festivities.
“It’s a goodwill thing,” White said. “It’s about building a relationship with your customers.”
More information regarding the events of Jingle Bell Holiday, Holidays in Grinnell, and the Winter Farmers Market can be found on the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce website.
