Ruby Wilson taught for 12 years in the Hattiesburg Public School District before moving to Spring Valley, New York. She received her bachelor’s degree from Tougaloo College and a master’s degree from St. Thomas Aquinas College in New York. Wilson, a talented singer and pianist, taught piano lessons to community members. In 1968, she became one of the charter members of the Theta Sigma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Thelma Williams was an entrepreneur who founded Williams Cleaners on Historic Mobile Street. She was one of the first female owners of a full-service dry cleaner serving Hattiesburg’s African American community.
Catherine Wilson was an employee of Woolworth during the days of segregation. She was one of the first African Americans to be employed in a national retail establishment in Hattiesburg.
