“The work of today is the history of tomorrow, and we are its makers.” Juliette Gordon Low, Founder Girl Scouts of the USA

Quiet and soft-spoken, Sarah Randolph Bailey was a woman who touched the lives of everyone she met, and made a profound impact on multiple organizations and systems within the state of Georgia. She excelled at a great many things, including her education. She finished first in her class in 1901, and took a teaching position straight away. After teaching for nine years, she was appointed to Maryland M. Burdell School, where she spent 35 years as a teacher and principal.

A missionary at heart, Bailey’s teaching extended far beyond chalkboards and classrooms. After one of her students was sent to Macon’s Old Detention Home, Bailey began to volunteer to teach Sunday School at the Home. After several influential friends visited the Home with Bailey, it was transformed into the Negro Training School for Girls, implementing a program for rehabilitation and life preparedness. Today the Home is known as the Youth Development Center or YDC and is managed by the GA Department of Juvenile Justice.

Perhaps her greatest passion was the Girl Scouts, and providing African-American girls the same experience and benefits, despite the fact that the Girl Scouts did not allow black troops until the 1940s. Bailey organized groups called the Girl Reserves in 1935, a movement of the YWCA that offered young black girls the same experience as the Girl Scouts. Within two years, Macon had 15 Girl Reserve groups. Her work did not go unnoticed, and in 1945 the Girl Scouts of the USA invited the formation of black troops, and Bailey was appointed chairwoman of the Central Committee for Macon’s troops. They were formally recognized by the national organization in 1948. Bailey’s work as a troop leader, district and council leader, and camp director was recognized with the Thanks Badge, at the time the highest honor that could be given to an adult worker in Scouting. A permanent campsite was dedicated Camp Sarah Bailey in 1961.

Bailey’s contributions to the Girl Scouts have left a lasting legacy, and in 1994, Macon’s Girl Scout Center was renamed the Sarah Bailey Service Center to honor her. Those nominating her for the Georgia Women of Achievement Hall of Fame recognized her positive influence over thousands of students and Girl Scout members. In her handwritten account of her own life, she explains her motivations: “I shall be rewarded on Earth according to the way I’ve lived. To me a healthy body, sound mind and equal opportunities mean more than wealth; and happiness and success are the products of our gifts to the world and of our fairness and sincerity to ourselves and others. There are still experiences in my life I have not mentioned here because they are too sacred to be shared; some too bitter to remember. But I hope these pages will be sufficient to prove to you that my life has been a struggle upward.”

As I prayed those days and night my thoughts were turned toward my own self and I realized that I MUST find a way to care for [those children]. I had the conviction that the way was not far off, if I could but find it. There flashed before me the story of Hagar, how she laid the lad down that she might not see him die and how the Angel came and opened her eyes and she saw the well of water. I prayed that my eyes might be opened that I might see the well of the water of life for these little ones and God answered that prayer.”
– Ethel Harpst quoted in Roy N. Emmet’s 25th Anniversary, Ethel Harpst Home

Perhaps Ethel Harpst’s biggest gift was the time and effort she gave to so many children in need. Harpst began her long career of caring for children at the McCarty Settlement House at Cedartown’s mill village. During her time teaching there, she took in a number of children who had been orphaned by parents who succumbed to illnesses. The Ethel Harpst Home opened in March 1924 and housed many children until the walls could expand no more.

Harpst traveled to raise funds for a new home, and in 1927 the first modern building, James Hall, was completed. And just in time for children who were displaced and orphaned during the Great Depression. An answer to prayer was the interest and attention shown by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Pfeiffer of New York. Through the Pfeiffer’s and several other friends, money was raised to allow more buildings to be built on the campus over the next 20 years, and hundreds of acres of land were contributed to the cause. All this is thanks to the dedication and tenacity of Harpst to continue fundraising. Today, the site houses the Murphy-Harpst residential program, where Georgia’s severely abused children can go for healing and therapy. In 2010-11, the program served nearly 300 children, which included 97 children in residential treatment.

Multiple organizations praised Harpst for her life-long achievements working with and caring for children. She was selected as Women’s Home Missionary Society’s Outstanding Missionary of the Society in New York, and her Ethel Harpst Home received the Most Outstanding Work of the entire missionary society. Harpst received the Good Neighbor Orchid Award in 1948 on the Breakfast In Hollywood national radio program. Harpst retired in 1951 at age 68 and died in 1967 in Montgomery, Ala., after a long illness. Her funeral was held at the Harpst Home’s chapel and she was buried in a cemetery in Cedartown.

“As I got in line to register for the first day of school, I had no money in her pocketbook. I was speechless as I approached the principal. I held out my hands. ‘Here are my hands, they can work,’ I said. The principal was silenced and pushed me along in the line. My heavy heart became as light as a feather.”
Beulah Rucker Oliver in The Rugged Pathway

The daughter of African-American sharecroppers, Beulah Rucker Oliver literally worked her way through school with the dream of becoming an educator. She often didn’t have the means to pay tuition, and in one instance returned to school with an empty pocketbook. When it came time to pay the principal, she offered out her hands instead. “Here are my hands; they can work,” she told him, to which he responded by moving her along in line.

Her hard work earned her a degree with honors, and she continued to work multiple jobs with the dream of opening up her own school, The Industrial School. Between teaching public and private school, giving music lessons and making and selling hats, Rucker also began to work toward her college degree at Savannah State College through correspondence and summer courses. She eventually received her degree in 1944 at age 56, showing her determination and will to reach her goals.

Despite objections at a black woman being in charge of a school facility, Rucker opened her first school on Norwood Street in Banks County. After having two schools in the city, she moved her facility out to the country, where she proved to be an excellent fund-raiser and educator for the African-American community. Her Industrial School eventually merged with the City of Gainesville school district in the 1950s.

Rucker achieved a number of firsts for an African-American woman of her time: the first to receive a Rosenwald Grant for her school, the first woman to establish a school in Gainesville and the first to start a Veterans Night School in the state. She also was responsible for educating hundreds of African-American children and adults alike. In recognition for contributions to the community, her daughters and a former student founded and dedicated The Educational Foundation and Museum Beulah Rucker Inc. to memorialize her life and great work.

A COMMENDATION

WHEREAS: Each March, during Women’s History Month, the Georgia Women of Achievement recognize women whose important contributions continue to shape and enrich our society.  The honorees and their achievement are celebrated with an induction ceremony; and

WHEREAS: Sarah Randolph Bailey set an example for all women with her determination to make the world a better place through education.  Whether it was encouraging girls to join the Girl Scouts of America or teaching inside the classroom, her compassion and skills as an educator have endeared her to many; and

WHEREAS: Ethel Harpst started a tradition of helping children who can’t fight for themselves.  Beginning her work at Women’s Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, she became a premier advocate for orphaned children, leading the legacy of the Murphy-Harpst Home; and

WHEREAS: Beulah Rucker Oliver has also been dedicated to improving the lives of Georgians through education.  After graduating with honors, she demonstrated the potential

WHEREAS: Driven by the legacy of these and many more extraordinary figures, Georgia women from all backgrounds continue to break barriers and fulfill their personal and professional potential, thus helping to move Georgia forward; nowof women to be a force of change by beginning several schools; and

WHEREAS: I, NATHAN DEAL, Governor of the State of Georgia, on the occasion of the 2012 Induction Ceremony, do hereby recognize and commend these and all

GEORGIA WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT

To view the letter from Governor Deal, click here.

The three women, Sarah Randolph Bailey, Ethel Harpst and Beulah Rucker Oliver, were chosen for the extraordinary contributions given during their lives and because they have inspired future generations to excel at their own talents.

“These women left a legacy of pride, generosity, hard work and compassion and it is truly an honor to recognize how they paved the way for our generation,” said Cyndee Busbee, Georgia Women of Achievement president.

A short commemorative video showed for each inductee during the ceremony to an audience of grandsons, grand-daughters and family friends. The crowd’s pride and respect for these women filled the room above even the sound of the narrator’s voice.

Making the drive that morning from Atlanta, State Senator Miriam Paris attended the event to personally present a Resolution for Sarah Randolph Bailey, the honoree from Paris’ hometown of Macon, Ga. “That was a really neat part of the ceremony,” GWA executive director Beth Oleson recalled. “It is a testament to how wide the reach of this years’ Honorees when a current state leader makes the drive to formally express her gratitude.”

Professional speaker and communications coach Stella Williams Bailey was the keynote speaker for the event. Bailey is a native of Cordele, Ga., and conducts many seminars on topics like Confidence in Communication, Public Speaking and Presentations, Presenting a Positive Image for Businesses and Employees and Positive Parenting, among many others. She holds a Master’s Degree in Family and Child Development.

May duBignon Stiles was born on May 2, 1894 in Savannah, Georgia, to parents John and Edith. After her mother’s death when May was seven, her father’s sisters had a large influence on her. Caroline Lovell was a noted writer and painter; Elizabeth Screven was a Georgia historian and supporter of patriotic causes; Isabel Marshall was a designer and artist in New York City; Margaret Stiles was an artist. These women helped shape May’s idea of how women could be a force for change in society.

May attended Brunswick schools and graduated from Glynn Academy. She continued her education in the nursing program at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City and then worked at Telfair Hospital in Savannah where she met Dr. Lee Howard, a pathologist. They married in 1916 and were together 44 years until his death in 1960.
May began her community leadership at Waters Avenue School in the 1920’s when Savannah schools were crowded with rural poor families who had come to town looking for work. She began the lunchroom program, addressing the nutrition of hundreds of children. She became president of the Chatham County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations, serving from 1929-1931, where she focused on free dental inspections in the system schools.

From that post she chaired the state Child Hygiene Committee where she promoted medical screenings of at-risk children during the summer months. Her responsibilities broadened over many counties and her advocacy grew to include other issues of child heath and well being, including educating children with special needs.
May also understood that knowing the democratic process allowed individuals to participate and effect change, rather than being bystanders. She developed workshops for teaching parliamentary procedures and how to participate in public meetings in order to involve more citizens. This led to writing bylaws and handbooks for hundreds of PTAs. Her continued involvement at the state level resulted in her election as State Treasurer at age 70.

Although May was recognized as “Mrs. PTA” throughout Georgia, she was involved in other community organizations and causes. With her background in nursing, she served as the president of the Women’s Auxiliary to the Chatham County Medical Society and later as the president of the Medical Association of Georgia Auxiliary in 1942. She focused on two devastating illnesses of that time, polio and tuberculosis, and volunteered for the Department of Family and Children’s Services for 20 years.
May also was instrumental in organizing the United Community Service, now known as the United Way of the Coastal Empire. She served on its Board of Directors, and also served as a Trustee of the Savannah Foundation, a charitable trust committed to the public welfare. She was active in the Catholic Women’s Club, caught the Nancy Hanks train to Atlanta where she continued to lobby the General Assembly on behalf of the PTA, and she raised five children.

May duBignon Stiles Howard has been honored many times for her work. Governor Herman Tallmadge appointed May Howard as Georgia Delegate to the President’s Mid-Century Conference on Education in 1950. IN 1953 the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce named her “Woman of the Year,” and in 1954 presented her with the Hillyer Trophy, its highest civic award. In 1960 May Howard Elementary School opened its doors on Wilmington Island.

May Howard followed her role models and inspired future generations by being an advocate for good causes, refusing to be limited by gender or age. Thousands of children and adults have benefited from her dedication.

Additional Resources:

Mary Francis Hill was born August 15, 1900 in Baker County, Georgia. She was the youngest child and the surviving twin of Martha, who died at childbirth. Mary was raised by her aunts and uncles after losing her parents at a young age, and her value of willingness to help others was shaped by this act. Mary had little, if any, formal education, but in a Georgia where women were often treated as less than equal citizens, and where, for poor and black women, the struggle was compounded, she became an influential advocate for community health.

Mary married carpenter Ashley Coley and the family moved to Albany in 1930. It was after this move that she became interested in midwifery and was trained by Alabama midwife Onnie Lee Logan in the apprentice tradition. For over 30 years Mary delivered more than 3,000 babies in Dougherty, Lee, Mitchell and Worth counties. She was known for her tireless work ethic and her willingness to serve both black and white mothers in the segregated south.

Her care of new families extended beyond the delivery of the baby. She would visit for days after the birth to help in cooking, cleaning and washing clothes, and she organized the registration of forms and certificates to be filed with the county health office. She believed her work was a spiritual calling, and she let nothing keep her from mothers who needed her, seeing no racial barriers.

Mary Coley was recognized by more than her community for the work she did. In 1952, documentarian George Stoney filmed All My Babies, a movie produced by the Georgia Health Department as an instructional training film. Stoney followed “Miss Mary” for four months, recording the preparation for and delivery of babies in rural conditions in the Albany area, with help from local public health doctors and nurses. The film is not only a portrait of Mary, but also is a historical record of the actual living conditions of her patients.

In 2002 the film was selected by the Library of Congress for placement on the National Film Registry as “a culturally, historically and artistically significant work.” It has been used as a tool for midwife training and as an example of early documentary style filming over the last 58 years.

The Anacostia Smithsonian Museum for African American History and Culture hosted an exhibit in 2005, “Reclaiming Midwives: Pillars of Community Support” which featured Miss Mary among the midwives. The exhibit emphasizes the role of African American midwives at the center of health and social support systems in black communities.

That same year other exhibits opened at the Columbia University School of Nursing as well as the Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. Mary Coley was featured in both.

When Mary Coley died in March, 1966 in Albany, she was recognized as a healer, an advocate healthy babies, and a liaison between the healthcare system and her community. She was also hailed as a role model for future generations of women who want to make a difference.

In 2007 George Stoney returned to Georgia to film a reunion of 150 babies delivered by Mary, all grown up with stories of their own. The film is currently in the editing stage. When these people tell the stories of their lives, it will be even more evident that Mary Coley had a profound influence on her community and beyond.

Additional Resources:

Bessie Lillian Gordy was born August 15, 1898 to James and Mary Ida Gordy in Richland, Georgia, a town a few miles west of Plains. She was the daughter of a postmaster and a homemaker, and grew up in the rural south where color and race were defining characteristics. She knew at an early age that she wanted to be a nurse and she studied at the Wise Sanitarium in Plains, and finished her education at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia in 1923.

After her graduation, Lillian married James Earl Carter, a local businessman from Pains, and raised four children while working as a nurse part time in her community and at the local hospital. She also worked with her husband at Carter’s Warehouse, which specialized in the buying and selling of peanuts and cotton. She used her nursing skills to help her husband’s employees and tended both black and white neighbors who needed medical care. She didn’t see “color” but rather saw humanity, and refused to allow race to be a determining factor in how she treated people.

Lillian’s husband died in 1953. She served as the housemother for the Kappa Alpha fraternity at Auburn University from 1955-1962 and she helped run a nursing home in Blakely, Georgia, but in 1966 she made a major decision. At the age of 68, when many people were retiring from hard work, Lillian joined the Peace Corps and went to Godrej Colony in India, 30 miles from Mumbai. There she nursed in a small clinic treating all illnesses, including leprosy. She turned 70 there before returning home.
Lillian was a busy and important part of her son Jimmy’s political campaigns for state senate, governor and in 1976, President of The United States. She published two books during his presidency, one a collection of letters that she had written her family from India. Her later years were spent at her home outside Plains visiting with family and fishing. When she died at the age of 85 in 1983 in Americus and was buried beside her husband at Lebanon Church Cemetery, more than a city or state grieved. People all over the world who had come under her influence mourned.

Lillian Carter has received many honors for her work during her life. In 1977 she received the Covenant of Peace Award from the Jewish Synagogue Council of America. In 1978 she was awarded the United Nations’ Ceres Medal for being one of the first proponents of civil rights in her community.

In 1980, she was named honorary chair of the Peace Corps National Advisory Council, and in 1986 the Atlanta Regional Office of the Peace Corp created the Lillian Carter Award, given every other year to volunteers over the age of 50 who demonstrate commitment to improving the lives of others.

Emory University established the Lillian Carter Center for International Nursing in 2001, in honor of the work she did in India, reflecting the mission “to improve the health of vulnerable people worldwide, through nursing, education, research, practice and policy.”

The mother of a president and a formidable leader in her own right, Lillian Gordy Carter set an example for all women with her determination to make the world a better place. Whether it was by serving as a nurse in the Peace Corps in India, or bridging cultural gaps in rural Georgia, her nursing skills and her compassion endeared her to many.

Additional Resources:

The mother of a president and a formidable leader in her own right, Lillian Gordy Carter (8-15-1898 to 10-30-1983) set an example for all women with her determination to make the world a better place. Whether it was by serving as a nurse in the Peace Corps in India, or bridging cultural gaps in rural Georgia ,  her nursing skills and her compassion  endeared her to many.

Mary Francis Hill Coley (8-15-1900 to 3-8-1966) was born in a Georgia where women were often treated as less than equal citizens, and where,  for poor and black women,  the struggle was compounded.  With little, if any, formal schooling, she became an accomplished and recognized midwife, an advocate for health care who  saw no racial barriers,  as documented in the award winning film, All My Babies, in 1952.

more info coming soon!