MOULTRIE — Dr. Myrtle NeSmith Lofton celebrated her 100th birthday on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, at her home in Moultrie. Family members from Moultrie, Coolidge, Thomasville, Valdosta, Atlanta, Dalton, Virginia Beach, and Philadelphia were in attendance to celebrate yet another milestone in her life.

Lofton was born Sept. 2, 1923, in Colquitt County. Upon her graduation from Coolidge High School, Myrtle attended Georgia Southwestern College in Americus for two years obtaining her Professional Teaching License in Elementary Education. She began her teaching career in Lake Park in 1943. Being a person who championed life-long learning, Myrtle continued her educational journey receiving her four-year teaching degree from Valdosta State College and her Master’s Degree from Florida State University. In 1983, at the age of 60, Myrtle received a Doctorate of Philosophy from Georgia State University.

Lofton was a professional educator with 32 years of teaching and administrative experience in elementary education in Lowndes, Colquitt, and Tift counties. She also taught college level education courses at Valdosta State College. She was the first full-time principal at R. B. Wright Elementary School in Moultrie and served as the Colquitt County Elementary Curriculum Director during the last years of her career.

Lofton has been a devoted and faithful member of four churches over the years. These include Big Creek Baptist Church, Coolidge; First Baptist Church, Moultrie; Thalia Lynn Baptist Church, Virginia Beach; and Virginia Heights Baptist Church, Norfolk.

She has been an active member of Moultrie’s First Baptist Church Victory Sunday School Class, Georgia Retired Teachers, Colquitt County Retired Teachers, Pi Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, Magnolia Garden Club, and the John Benning Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Honorary professional memberships include Alpha Chi and Kappa Delta Pi. In 1984, the Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce named her Woman of the Year in recognition of her many contributions to the community. In March of this year, she received the Women in American History Award from The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution as a visionary educator, role model, and life-long learner.