Barbara T. King decided early on that she would accomplish much more than what was expected of women living in theSouth during the 1950s. Her mother didn’t get the opportunity to go to college and most women didn't have their own checking accounts. She wanted to be independent, make her own money and make her own decisions.
Mrs. King’s first job at a dime store didn’t pay much, but she was inspired by the fact that she earned it. She believed that attitude is everything, and she maintained that way of thinking throughout her career.
“When she set her mind to a task, she just knew she could do it,” said her son, Mike King of Clermont. “She passed that same attitude down to her children.”
“She reminded me to appreciate the doors that were opened for me,” said her daughter, Kelly Herndon of Gainesville. “She encouraged women and told them that they could do it."
Barbara T. King of Clermont died Wednesday at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville of complications from congestive heart failure. She was 72. A funeral mass is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Cleveland. Barrett Funeral Home in Cleveland is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. King was born and raised in Hartwell. She attended Hartwell High School, where she met Albert King, her husband of 53 years. She studied at Georgia State College for Women (now Georgia College & State University) and was a member of Mu Rho Sigma National Honor Society.
Mrs. King began her career at General Motors, where she worked for more than 18 years. In 1980, she joined A.L. Williams & Associates to build a communications and corporate relations division. She created ALW Media Management, Inc. and ALW-TV, which at the time of its creation in 1986, was the largest privately-owned business satellite TV network in the nation. In 1987, she was elected to the board, where she served as senior executive vice president in charge of communication and public relations. Following the acquisition of the A.L. Williams Corporation by Primerica Corporation, she was named executive vice president of Primerica Financial Services. She retired in 2009.
Mrs. King was instrumental in the development of “Women in Primerica,” a program designed to mentor women in the organization. She wanted women to envision themselves as executives.
“At the time, there weren’t a lot of women who were senior executives,” said John A. Addison Jr., chairman of Primerica Distribution, co-chief executive officer and director of Primerica Financial Services. “She was the driving force behind making the program significant in the company.”
In addition to her corporate role, Mrs. King served on the boards of numerous civic and community organizations, and received countless awards for her work. In 2009, she was honored by the Georgia Council on Economic Education for her contributions to advance student teaching and learning.
“Lifelong learning should be a way of life in today's world,” she said during her acceptance speech for the William J. VanLandingham Commitment to Education Award.
In addition to her husband, son and daughter, Mrs. King is survived by brothers, Gerald Temple of Social Circle and John Temple of Sky Valley; sister, Rosemary T. Calhoun of Tifton; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
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