Wil Lou Gray

Early life and education

Wil Lou Gray graduated from Laurens High School in Laurens, South Carolina in 1899 and continued her education at Columbia College where she graduated in 1903. After receiving her undergraduate degree at Columbia College, she completed postgraduate work at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee before moving to New York to achieve her M.A. degree at Columbia University.

Career

Gray's career began in 1903 in Greenwood, South Carolina where she taught at the Jones School. The Greenwood community did not place education as a priority, so Gray transferred to a teaching position in English at the Martha Washington College in 1907 and 1908. She then returned to her hometown where she became the principal of the Youngs School. It was here where she observed the issue of adult illiteracy and developed her passion for increasing education among adults. She was elected the supervisor of rural schools in Laurens County and in 1914, opened the first night school for adult education.

Gray, who loved to travel, was once inspired during a trip to Switzerland in 1913. It was there where she saw a teacher on an education field trip with more than 100 boys. This influenced her belief in the importance of field trips for both students and teachers. She would later travel with her students and colleagues to different cities in South Carolina, such as Columbia and Charleston, and even to places like New York and Washington D.C.

In 1921, Gray founded the Will Lou Gray Opportunity School, which is still the state of South Carolina's leader in providing alternative education. This organization's mission statement certifies that, "As an agency of state government, the school provides a wealth of academic and life skills training by SC state-certified teachers in modern classroom settings."

Awards

In 1937 she won the Algernon-Sidney Sullivan Award by the University of South Carolina because of her service to mankind. She received a Service to the Black Race award from South Carolina State University. She received honorary doctorates from Columbia College, Clemson University, and Winthrop University. In 1950 the State American Legion granted her a plaque for her Distinguished Public Service. In 1974 she was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame and the Columbia Rotary Club honored her with the Paul Harris Fellowship Award. She was the only female nominee among thirty-four nominations for the South Carolina Man of the Half Century Award.