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.
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