Wil Lou Gray

"With the skill of a talented historian and the affection and insight of a relative, Ogden tells the story of one of the most important figures in the history of twentieth-century South Carolina. Not only did Wil Lou Gray change the lives of countless South Carolinians, poor and illiterate, black and white, she made an enduring contribution by changing public perceptions about their capacity to learn. Anyone with an interest in the history of women, race relations, education, or South Carolina, plus any aspiring public servant interested in taking up the torch, would profit from reading this book."—Marjorie J. Spruill, professor of history, University of South Carolina

"Mary Ogden has written a fascinating portrait of her great-great-aunt, Wil Lou Gray, who fought to end illiteracy in South Carolina. As state supervisor of adult education, this unconventional woman broadened educational opportunities for African Americans as well as whites. A must read for those interested in education, reform, gender, and race in the early twentieth-century South."—Joan Johnson, Northeastern Illinois University

"Present debates about public education and race in American society make Ogden's study of Lou Gray not only fascinating but important. Gray's work as South Carolina's Supervisor of Adult Education unfolds as the story of a savvy single woman 'working the system' during days of deep poverty, Jim Crow, and ever lurking violence."—Erskine Clarke, author of Dwelling Place: A Plantation Epic

"Mary Macdonald Ogden's biography of Wil Lou Gray is a pleasurable and informative read. As Ogden's work reminds us, reform is complicated, messy, and contradictory. Gray's life-work embodied the essence of reform; she was both a woman of her times and ahead of her times. Meticulously researched, the story of Wil Lou Gray should appeal to both the reading public interested in South Carolina history and college faculty teaching a broad array of upper level undergraduate and graduate courses in women's history, southern history, and educational history."—Kathleen C. Berkeley, Professor Emeritus, History Department, UNC Wilmington