Music educator Hortense Parker Gilliam: First Black graduate of Mt. Holyoke

Posted on by

Music educator Hortense Parker Gilliam, the first Black graduate of Mt. Holyoke Female Seminary.

All throughout American history, our lives have been genuinely enriched by legions of music teachers who have perpetuated the love of music in our young people. One such music teacher was Hortense Parker Gilliam, an elementary school music teacher who is the first known African American graduate of Mount Holyoke Female Seminary.

Hortense Parker was born in Ripley, Ohio, in 1859, the fourth of six children born to John Parker and Miranda (Boulden) Parker, a free black couple. Her mother was born free in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her father was born into slavery, but in 1845 he was able to buy his freedom. John Parker became a noted abolitionist, inventor, and industrialist. Before the outbreak of the Civil War, John guided hundreds of slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad. In fact, the Parker home has been renovated and is now designated a National Historic Landmark.

Hortense’s parents were determined that all of their children should get an education. As children, Hortense and her two younger sisters received a standard education in traditional subjects, and they also studied music. After her high school graduation in 1878, Hortense enrolled in Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, now known as Mount Holyoke College, in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Her expenses were paid by a wealthy patron. The institution did not know she was a woman of color until she arrived on campus, but they did not cast her out. On the contrary, Hortense lived on campus in a dormitory along with 250 other students. Unlike many institutions of her day, Mt. Holyoke did not require its black students to live off campus.

Hortense was remembered by her classmates as “a quiet ladylike girl, noted especially for her musical ability.” Because of her exceptional musical abilities, faculty and fellow students alike often asked her to play the piano in the seminary in the evenings after classes were done. She had aspirations to continue her music education in Europe upon her graduation, but unfortunately her patron passed away during her senior year. She graduated in 1883, the first known African American student to graduate from that institution.

After graduating from college in 1883, Hortense taught music and piano at Lincoln Elementary School in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1906-1913. That same year she married James Marcus Gilliam, a graduate of Cornell University, and moved with him to St. Louis, where she taught music. During her long career, she also taught music at schools in New York and Indiana.

As the first African-American graduate of Mt. Holyoke, Hortense was featured in Our Path: Students of Color at Mt. Holyoke at the 2007 Alumnae Student Conference there. This chalkboard champion passed away on December 9, 1938, near St. Louis, Missouri.

Texas educator Mabel Grizzard: One of the founders of Delta Kappa Gamma

Posted on by

Texas educator Mabel Grizzard was one of the original founders of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International.

In 1929, a group of accomplished women educators founded an organization to advance the interests of women teachers. These women, who came from all over the state of Texas, formed the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International (DKG). The goals of the organization were to advance professional preparation, to recognize women’s work in the teaching profession, and to provide scholarships for those needing help to advance their professional expertise. One of these esteemed founders was Mabel Grizzard of Ellis County.

Mable was born in Waxahachie, Ellis County, on April 2, 1884, the daughter of Henry and Hattie (Youree) Grizzard. As a child, Mabel attended private schools before graduating with honors from Waxahachie public schools. After high school, Mabel earned a degree from the North Texas State Normal School in Denton, where she was a student of Dr. Annie Webb Blanton. Dr. Blanton was later elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and she was the first woman in Texas to be elected to a statewide office. In her later years, Mabel attended Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee, and the University of Denver.

Mabel inaugurated her career as an educator in Bristol School in Ellis County. She also taught in the State Orphans Home in Corsicana, and at a large elementary school in Waxahachie. There she served for 40 years, first as a teacher and then as a principal. During that 40-year period, Mabel took a two-year leave of absence to serve as the elementary supervisor of rural schools in Texas. In the summers, Mabel served as an assistant to State Superintendent Dr. Blanton. She also spent many summers engaged in research and study.

In addition to her classroom and administrative responsibilities, Mabel took an active part in several educational organizations. She served on the Executive Board of the North Texas Division of Elementary Principals. Also, she was president of the Ellis County unit of Texas State Teachers Association. She was active with National Principals of the NEA and the National Society for the Study of Education. As recognition for her hard work, the PTA of her elementary school gifted Mabel with a life membership in the National Congress of Parents and Teachers.

At Dr. Blanton’s invitation, Mabel attended the initial meeting of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society in 1929 in Austin, Texas. She became one of the organization’s founders, and was also instrumental in founding the Alpha Alpha Chapter of DKG located in Ellis County in 1931.

Mabel passed away on July 14, 1968, at the age of 84. She was interred in Hillcrest Burial Park in Waxahachie.

To read more about this amazing chalkboard champion, click on this link DKG Founders.

Teacher and entrepreneur Moses Sherman involved in early development of Los Angeles

Posted on by

Teacher and entrepreneur Moses Sherman was instrumentally involved in the development of Los Angeles in the mid-19th century.

There are many examples of gifted teachers who become successful entrepreneurs. One of these was Moses Sherman, a 19th-century educator and businessman.

Moses was born in West Rupert, Bennington County, Vermont, on December 3, 1853. He earned his teaching certificate at the Oswego Normal School located in Oswego, New York. He inaugurated his career as a teacher in Salem, New York, and later taught in Wisconsin. In 1874, when he was just 21 years old, Moses ventured west to Prescott, Arizona, to teach school. After two years there, Moses left the classroom to go into business, successfully investing in mining, cattle ranching, and real estate. In addition, he was appointed the State Superintendent of Public Instruction by then Arizona Governor John C. Fremont. 

The former educator relocated to Los Angeles in 1890, where he formed the original downtown electric street railway. Eventually he sold this business to railroad tycoon Henry Huntington. In addition to his electric car interests, Moses was involved in the development of the southern half of the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood. He owned extensive property in Culver City, Del Rey, and Tejon Ranch.

This remarkable teacher and entrepreneur passed away on December 9, 1932, in Balboa, Orange County, California. He was 78 years old. He is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California.

In 1966, fellow businessman Arnold D. Haskell founded a research library and botanical gardens in Corona Del Mar, which he christened the Sherman Library and Gardens in honor of his former mentor, Moses Sherman. To learn more about these institutions, click on this link: Sherman Library and Gardens.

Florida math teacher Mary Jo Murray inducted into National Teachers Hall of Fame

Posted on by

Florida math teacher Mary Jo Murray just inducted into National Teachers Hall of Fame.

There are many fine classroom educators who have been singled out for special recognition. One of these is Mary Jo Murray, a high school math teacher from Riviera Beach, Florida, who was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame last month. The honor is awarded to only five teachers from around the country each year.

Mary Jo earned her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1970 and her Master’s degree in 1972, both from the University of South Florida. She earned her PhD in Physical Education, Curriculum and Instruction in 1978, also from Florida State University. She earned National Board Certification in 2001.

Mary Jo’s career as a classroom educator spans 36 years. Currently she  teaches mathematics, pre-calculus, and calculus at Suncoast Community High School in Riviera Beach, Florida, where she has been employed since 2011. She has also taught at Seminole Ridge High School, Mast Academy, Miami Palmetto Senior High School, Homestead High School, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Hillsborough High School, and Middleton High School. In addition, she has worked as an instructor at Flager College, Northeast Missouri State University, and Northeast Louisiana University.

For her work in the classroom, Mary Jo has earned many accolades. She was named the Secondary Math Teacher of the Year for Dade County in 2001. In 2009, she was a finalist for Secondary Math Teacher of the Year for Palm Beach.

In her spare time, this amazing chalkboard champion plays tennis, and as if that wasn’t enough, she is also a nationally-ranked racquetball player.

To learn more about Mary Jo Murray, click on this link: National Teachers Hall of Fame.