22067 total results

Oral history.; The family of Dr. Isaac Thomas moved to Hattiesburg from Beaumont, Perry County, Mississippi, in 1935. He entered Eureka High School that year, graduating in 1938, one of a class of thirty three. Dr. Thomas stresses how important attending Eureka was to the continuation of his studies. He believes he benefitted from the encouragement he received from his teachers, and he is grateful that he could attend one of the few black high schools in Mississippi at that time. Dr. Thomas' decision to study pharmacy was influenced by two prominent black professionals, Dr. J.S. Love and Dr. Hammond Smith, owner of a drugstore in Hattiesburg. He attended Alcorn College and Tennessee State University and received his degree in pharmacy from Xavier College in New Orleans, Louisiana. Military service during World War II interrupted Dr. Thomas' studies.

Oral history.; Mrs. Sarah Harris Ruffin was born on April 15, 1914. Her parents came to Hattiesburg in the early 1900s. When young, Mrs. Ruffin did domestic and warehouse work. In 1949, she began working at the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital as a nurse's aide. She also worked as a practical nurse for the Green Point Hospital in Brooklyn, New York; for the New York City Health Department; and for the Hebrew Home for the Aged. Mrs. Ruffin is a member of the New York State Practical Nurses Association and St. George Association of Practical Nurses. She attends the annual meetings of the New York State Practical Nurses Association, and each year she lobbies as an advocate for senior citizens and children. She is active in the Zion Baptist Church and she served as a Girl Scout leader for over twenty years. Mrs. Ruffin's activities have earned her many awards.

Oral history.; Mrs. Mattie Lou Hardy was born on May 13, 1908, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Mrs. Hardy first attended school at Mount Zion Baptist Church, then transferred to the Eureka School in the first grade. She was a member of Eureka's second graduating class in 1928. She attended Jackson College and Alcorn College, where she studied education. For over forty years, she taught in Hattiesburg public schools, most of that time at Eureka. Mrs. Hardy has been involved in many community activities. She was secretary to the state Federation of Women's Clubs and vice president of the Sixth District Federation of Women's Clubs. She was secretary to the One Night of Fellowship for her church, the Church of God in Christ, where she was also the superintendent of Sunday school. And she has been an active member of the White Rose Homemakers, where she has been secretary and from which she has received a number of awards.

Oral history.; Mrs. Marie Washington Kent was born in Natchez, Mississippi. She moved to Hattiesburg in 1911. She attended the Eureka School. After graduating in 1923, Ms. Washington studied at Strait College in New Orleans, Louisiana, for two years, then began teaching. In 1935 she completed a Bachelor of Science degree at Alcorn College. She did further study during two summers at Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee. During her career, Miss Washington taught in several Mississippi towns, three years in Grenada, one year in Clarksdale, and eight in Biloxi. She moved to Hattiesburg where she taught English at Eureka High School for ten years. Miss Washington became Mrs. Marie Washington Kent after she retired from teaching.