Thelma Mothershed Wair, one of the Little Rock Nine who courageously integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957, passed away at 83. Her sister, Grace Davis, confirmed that she died due to complications from multiple sclerosis. Mothershed Wair and eight other Black students entered the school despite intense hostility from white segregationists. Governor Orval Faubus initially blocked their entry with the National Guard, but President Dwight D. Eisenhower intervened by sending the Army’s 101st Airborne Division to escort them on September 25, 1957.
Davis recalled her sister’s bravery during that time, saying, “I didn’t think anybody was really going to hurt her,” despite the mean comments and occasional incidents like ink being thrown on her skirt. She highlighted that Thelma didn’t face physical violence, though name-calling was frequent.
In 1958, Faubus shut down all Little Rock schools to prevent further integration. Mothershed Wair finished her high school education out of state, earning her diploma from Central High. “She was always a fighter,” said Davis, mentioning Thelma’s congenital heart defect, which doctors believed would prevent her from living beyond her teens.
Mothershed Wair went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in home economics and a master’s in guidance and counseling from Southern Illinois University. She married Fred Wair in 1965 and worked as a teacher and counselor for over two decades. She also contributed to the community through the Juvenile Detention Center in Illinois and the American Red Cross.
In recognition of their historic role in school integration, Mothershed Wair and the rest of the Little Rock Nine were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, which they donated to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in 2011.
Link: CNN
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