LAFAYETTE PARISH — Some people leave their mark with loud accomplishments. Others do it quietly through decades of service, leadership and creating spaces where people feel they belong. For Gloria Wheeler, that legacy has taken shape both inside Lafayette City Court and inside the walls of The Brass Room, where she has spent more than two decades bringing people together.
Wheeler said one of the qualities that has guided her throughout her life is a willingness to take chances and keep going, even when something doesn't work the first time.
"It's just I'm the type of person that I'm not, I'm gonna try. If it doesn't work and if I like it, I'm gonna make it work," Wheeler said.
Long before opening The Brass Room, Wheeler built a career at Lafayette City Court. After the court administrator retired, she stepped into the position and made history as the court's first African American court administrator. While the accomplishment was groundbreaking, Wheeler said it never felt like work.
"So when she retired, I became the first black African-American court administrator. It was taken for granted cause I enjoyed it. It wasn't a job or a chore. It was an enjoyment," Wheeler said.
That same sense of leadership carried into every chapter of Wheeler's life. She said it started long before her professional career and continued through her years at the courthouse and into the community space she created.
"Putting the games together like, 'lets go to her house next, lets do this', I was always a leader, and I became that at the courthouse, and I became that here," Wheeler said.
While working 35 years at Lafayette City Court, Wheeler opened The Brass Room after a friend offered her the property. Originally envisioned as a jazz venue, the space evolved over time into a gathering place for celebrations, community events and local creatives after Wheeler adapted to meet the needs of the people walking through its doors.
"I started off with baby showers on Saturdays. Bridal showers on Sundays, divorce parties on Fridays," Wheeler said.
The Brass Room has now served the Lafayette community for more than 26 years, but Wheeler said the motivation to keep its doors open came from something much more personal than business. "My mother passed away May 1st, 2000. And I had a big void. She was bedridden, I was taking care of her, and I opened this place September 15th, my birthday. 2000. I'm still here with a smile on my face," Wheeler shared.
That smile continues beyond The Brass Room. Through her involvement with numerous community organizations and her commitment to serving others, Wheeler has built a legacy that extends far beyond the venue's walls.
When asked whether she now realizes the impact of her life's work, Wheeler reflected on everything she has accomplished, " I can't believe I did all of that at that short time of my life, but it's done. I'm Living as proof," Wheeler said.
