Gladys Byram Shepperd
A young Black woman with light skin and short hair parted on the side
Gladys Byram (later Shepperd), from the 1927 yearbook of the University of Chicago
Born
Gladys Josephine Byram

June 1, 1902
Memphis, Tennessee
DiedAugust 5, 1985
St. Louis, Missouri
Other namesGladys Biram
Occupation(s)Educator, writer, clubwoman
Known forFifth national president, Delta Sigma Theta (1931–1933)

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.

Early life and education

Gladys 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

Shepperd 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

  • Mary Church Terrell: Respectable Person (1959)[13]

Personal life

Byram 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

  1. ↑ Gadison, Rubye Harris (1959-11-28). "Memphis Scene". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 29. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "To Celebrate Emancipation". The Commercial Appeal. 1923-01-01. p. 21. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ The University of Chicago, Cap and Gown (1927 yearbook).
  4. ↑ "Mrs. Gladys Shepperd Resigns School Post". The Baltimore Sun. 1956-06-06. p. 13. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "About Us – Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter". Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  6. ↑ "Past Presidents – Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc". Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  7. ↑ "Delta Sigma Theta Data". California Eagle. 1933-09-22. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "A Woman's Fight". The Baltimore Sun. 1960-01-31. p. 31. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "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.
  10. 1 2 "2 Baltimoreans were presidents". Baltimore Afro American. August 12, 1969. p. 38. Retrieved July 5, 2023 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  11. ↑ "Mary Church Terrell Library Dedicated in Washington". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1966-12-31. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Novak, Josephine (1969-12-01). "Folklife Gaps Found in State". The Evening Sun. pp. B1, B2. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Shepperd, Gladys Byram (1959). Mary Church Terrell: Respectable Person. Human Relations Press. ISBN 978-0-598-58190-7.
  14. ↑ "Delta Program in 'Y' Thrills Large Crowd". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1930-04-26. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Announcement". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1954-01-16. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Mary Church Terrell Library Dedicated in Washington". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1966-12-31. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Obituary for James Shepperd". The Evening Sun. 1972-07-01. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Obituary for Gladys B. Shepperd". The Baltimore Sun. 1985-08-09. p. 42. Retrieved 2023-07-05 – via Newspapers.com.
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