UPDATED WITH STORY: Miss Gloria: Berwick celebrates 100th birthday of former clerk, mayor

BERWICK — She’s a collector of Berwick history, a former town clerk and, back in the Seventies, she served twice as mayor.

She’s Miss Gloria, Gloria Chauvin Nini. And on Sunday, residents of the town turned out at the Berwick Civic Complex for a luncheon to celebrate her 100th birthday.

They celebrated what Gilda Chauvin McBride called “a century of wisdom, love and laughter graciously shared with the town. … You are a true inspiration to everyone you meet.”

“I feel wonderful,” Nini said. “It’s a wonderful day of being with my family.”

Current Mayor Duval Arthur told the audience about Nini’s connection to the town government. She went to work as an accounts payable clerk in 1965. Two years later, she became the assistant town clerk. In 1974, she was appointed clerk.

In those days, Arthur remembered, the clerk, and not a mayor pro tem, became mayor when the holder of that office was unable to serve.

That happened first in 1976, when Mayor Ralph Guidry died. Nini served until the town elected Charlie Savoy mayor. Nini would serve briefly as mayor again two years later, when Savoy became the parish chief administrative officer.

At Sunday’s celebration, Savoy praised Nini for being “a stabilizing influence on the government of Berwick.”

Arthur joked that he’s glad Nini didn’t run for mayor more recently.

“She’d beat me like a drum,” Arthur said.

Nini retired from the town government Jan. 1, 1988, a sad day in her memory.

“We were like ... we were family,” Nini said. “It was a joy to come to work.”

The Rev. Sal Istre, pastor of St. Stephen Catholic Church, presented Nini with an icon.

Arthur read statements of congratulations from the Morgan City and Patterson governments. And there were proclamations by the state Senate, courtesy of Sen. Robert Allain, and the U.S. Senate, forwarded by Sen. Bill Cassidy.

Gov. Jeff Landry also sent well wishes, calling Nini a “pillar of the community.”