Arnetta McKamey Wallace
Arnetta McKamey Wallace | |
|---|---|
 Arnetta McKamey (later Wallace), from the 1926 yearbook of Knoxville College | |
| Born | Arnetta McKamey October 19, 1904 Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Died | January 13, 1995 |
| Other names | Arnetta McKamey Gravely |
| Occupation(s) | International president, Alpha Kappa Alpha (1953-1958) |
Arnetta McKamey Gravely Wallace (October 19, 1904 – January 13, 1995) was an American music educator and community leader, as the 14th international president of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority from 1953 to 1958.
Early life and education
[edit]McKamey was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, the daughter of Lincoln McKamey and Charity Melinda Worthington McKamey. She graduated from Knoxville College in 1926.[1]
Career
[edit]Wallace was a music educator in Knoxville public schools,[1][2][3] and a contralto singer,[4][5][6] In 1933 she sang with the Knoxville College octet on a tour, including an appearance at the Diamond Jubilee of the United Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh.[7] She was vice-president of the Knoxville Education Association, and the first Black member of the Knoxville Girl Scout Council.[8]
Wallace was the 14th international president (supreme basileus) of Alpha Kappa Alpha, serving from 1953 to 1958.[9][10] She focused the organization's work on sickle cell research and international expansion during her tenure.[11] She was chair of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, and was named Knoxville's "Negro Woman of the Year" in 1950.[12][13][14] She was also the first vice-president of the National Council of Negro Women, and active in the YWCA.[15] She was a lecturer with the National Council of Churches.[16]
She traveled in Africa and was an honored guest at independence day festivities in Liberia.[15]
Personal life and legacy
[edit]McKamey married twice. Her first husband was Benjamin J. Gravely; they married in 1926. They separated by 1930. She married again to Robert C. Wallace, a Baptist clergyman and the dean of the Chicago Baptist Institute.[17] Her second husband died in 1984, and she died in 1994, at the age of 90.[1][18][19]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Mrs. Arnetta McKamey Wallace". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. 1995-01-15. p. 15. Retrieved 2023-02-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Booker, Robert (2012-02-14). "City boasts long roll of black achievers". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 13. Retrieved 2023-02-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Founders Day, Sunday, Feb. 20th". The Weekly Review. 1949-02-18. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-02-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Stabat Mater Sung to Large Audience". The Aurora. March 23, 1933. p. 1. Retrieved February 6, 2023 – via Knoxville College Archives.
- ^ "Mendelssohn, Spirituals to be Featured". The Aurora. May 31, 1934. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved February 6, 2023 – via Knoxville College Archives.
- ^ Wallace, Robert C. (May 30, 1935). "Sacred Concert of Chorus Heard by Large Audience". The Aurora. p. 3. Retrieved February 6, 2023 – via Knox College Archives.
- ^ "K.C. Singers Will Go To Pittsburgh". The Aurora. May 30, 1933. p. 3. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
- ^ "Negro Religious Leader Will Speak Here Sept. 28". Kingsport Times-News. 1952-09-07. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-02-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Campbell, Laura K. (1955-08-20). "AKA Delegates Re-elect Arnetta Wallace; Sorors Adopt Four-Point Program". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-02-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Announces Plans for Nine-Day 50th Anniversary Boule". Jackson Advocate. 1958-04-12. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-02-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - Former International Presidents". Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
- ^ "Arnetta G. Wallace, New AKA Basileus, Is Outstanding Citizen". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1954-01-23. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-02-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jackson, A. (1950-10-07). "Negro Churchman's Wife is 'Woman of the Year'". Jackson Advocate. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-02-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mrs. Arnetta Wallace Named Knox Negro Woman of Year". The Knoxville Journal. 1950-09-11. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-02-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Mrs. Wallace Women's Day Speaker Here". The Decatur Daily Review. 1961-06-03. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-02-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "United Church Women's Convention". The Herald-Journal. 1964-04-05. p. 15. Retrieved 2023-02-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ottley, Roi (1959-12-12). "Dean Wallace Church Study Progress Told". Chicago Tribune. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-02-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mrs. Arnetta Gravely Wallace, Oct. 19, 1904-Jan. 13, 1995". Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
- ^ "Mrs. Arnetta Wallace". The Tennessean. 1995-01-15. p. 25. Retrieved 2023-02-07 – via Newspapers.com.