Gladys Josephine Byram Shepperd (June 1, 1902 – August 5, 1985) was an American educator, writer, and clubwoman, and the fifth national president of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
Gladys Byram Shepperd | |
|---|---|
 Gladys Byram (later Shepperd), from the 1927 yearbook of the University of Chicago | |
| Born | Gladys Josephine Byram June 1, 1902 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | August 5, 1985 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Other names | Gladys Biram |
| Occupation(s) | Educator, writer, clubwoman |
| Known for | Fifth national president, Delta Sigma Theta (1931–1933) |
Early life and education
editGladys Byram was born in Memphis, the daughter of George Washington Byram and Rebecca J. Busby Byram.[1] Her mother was a teacher and her father was a barber. In 1923, she read the Emancipation Proclamation at a Memphis event marking the 60th anniversary of its publication.[2] She graduated from the University of Chicago in 1927.[3]
Career
editShepperd taught history in the segregated high schools of Baltimore from 1927 to 1956.[4] She was eastern regional director of Delta Sigma Theta after college.[5] She was the fifth national president of Delta Sigma Theta, serving as the sorority's leader from 1931 to 1933.[6] She succeeded Anna Johnson Julian, and was in turn succeeded as president by Jeanette Triplett Jones.[7]
Shepperd wrote a biography of civil rights leader Mary Church Terrell, published in 1959.[8] In 1960 she was one of the "several women of national reputation" invited to the annual Women's Week at Morgan State College.[9][10] In 1966, she spoke at the dedication of the Mary Church Terrell Memorial Research Library in Washington, D.C.[11] In the 1960s she was appointed by Spiro Agnew to the Gubernatorial Study Commission on Maryland Folklife.[10][12]
Publications
edit- Mary Church Terrell: Respectable Person (1959)[13]
Personal life
editByram married physician James Douglass Shepperd by 1930.[14] They lived in Baltimore and had children Sandra and James.[15][16] Her husband died in 1972.[17] Gladys Byram Shepperd died in 1985, in St. Louis, Missouri, at the age of 83.[18]
References
edit- ^ Gadison, Rubye Harris (1959-11-28). "Memphis Scene". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 29. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "To Celebrate Emancipation". The Commercial Appeal. 1923-01-01. p. 21. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ The University of Chicago, Cap and Gown (1927 yearbook).
- ^ "Mrs. Gladys Shepperd Resigns School Post". The Baltimore Sun. 1956-06-06. p. 13. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "About Us – Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter". Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- ^ "Past Presidents – Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc". Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- ^ "Delta Sigma Theta Data". California Eagle. 1933-09-22. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A Woman's Fight". The Baltimore Sun. 1960-01-31. p. 31. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Women Urged to Lead Movement of America from House Slavery Built". Alabama Tribune. 1960-03-25. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "2 Baltimoreans were presidents". Baltimore Afro American. August 12, 1969. p. 38. Retrieved July 5, 2023 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
- ^ "Mary Church Terrell Library Dedicated in Washington". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1966-12-31. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Novak, Josephine (1969-12-01). "Folklife Gaps Found in State". The Evening Sun. pp. B1, B2. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Shepperd, Gladys Byram (1959). Mary Church Terrell: Respectable Person. Human Relations Press. ISBN 978-0-598-58190-7.
- ^ "Delta Program in 'Y' Thrills Large Crowd". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1930-04-26. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Announcement". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1954-01-16. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mary Church Terrell Library Dedicated in Washington". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1966-12-31. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Obituary for James Shepperd". The Evening Sun. 1972-07-01. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Obituary for Gladys B. Shepperd". The Baltimore Sun. 1985-08-09. p. 42. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.