Letty M. Wickliffe (January 25, 1902 – April 2, 2001) was an American educator. She directed special education and gifted education services for black students in Indianapolis, Indiana from the 1930s until the mid-1960s. In retirement, she was a community activist in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

Early life and education

Letty M. Wickliffe was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the daughter of Joseph Hold Wickliffe and Mary Jewett Wickliffe. Her father had escaped from slavery in Kentucky as a young man, and served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.Susan L. Nenadic, M. Joanne Nesbit
''Legendary Locals of Ann Arbor''
(Arcadia Publishing 2016). She attended the Tappan School in Ann Arbor, with mostly white classmates, and sang in the school's chorus at the town's annual May Festival in 1914 and 1915. She was one of the six African-American women who graduated from the University of Michigan in 1924, with a degree in education; she also earned a master's degree in psychology from the University of Michigan, in 1928.Letty M. Wickliffe papers
Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. She was a founder of the Ann Arbor chapter of the

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta ...

sorority in 1921, and remained active in sorority events into the 1950s.

Career

Wickliffe taught at Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas from 1924 to 1928."AHS Dept. Director Awarded Medal at Valley Forge, Pa."
''Indianapolis Recorder'' (June 18, 1960): 5. via Hoosier State Chronicles She taught at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis for forty years, until her retirement in 1968. She founded the school's special education and gifted education programs, and published journal articles based on her work. She also gave workshops in special education in South Carolina, Louisiana, and Ohio. "Miss Wickliffe is known nationwide for her knowledge of and service to exceptional children," explained a 1967 news story. I do think it is very essential that all teachers understand the learning problems of slow students," she said in a 1968 interview, "and not only teachers but psychologists need to know how to interpret the scores of inner-city children. Many children classified as retarded appear so as a result of the test, but they are only educationally retarded and not mentally retarded.""Miss Letty Wickliffe, Retiree, Accepts Post at Green Acres"
''Indianapolis Recorder'' (July 13, 1968): 4. via Hoosier State Chronicles In 1952 she was chair of the membership drive for the Indianapolis chapter of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

. In retirement, Wickliffe worked briefly as executive director of the Green Acres School in

Richmond, Indiana Richmond is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County and is part of the Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 36,812. Situa ...

, then moved back to Ann Arbor, where she ran for the school board in 1972. She was a founding member and president of the North Central Property Owners Association, work she shared with her brother Walter Wickliffe; she was also active in the public library advisory committee, the hospital board, and other civic activities in the city. Her work was recognized with a Citation for Distinguished Professional Leadership, by the

Council for Exceptional Children A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

, and a Presidential Certificate of Appreciation from

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

. She was made a fellow of the American Association on Mental Deficiency in 1967. Among her gifted-program students was actor Meshach Taylor, who described her as his most influential teacher in a 1993 television appearance. "She had a concept that there were a lot of kids of color in these neighborhoods that were special and gifted and should be nurtured and treated with care because they had a lot to offer," Taylor recalled in a 2000 profile.

Personal life

In 1992, Letty M. Wickliffe's 90th birthday was marked by the Kiwanis Club in Ann Arbor."Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Honors Letty M. Wickliffe On Her 90th Birthday, March 1992"
Ann Arbor News'' (March 9, 1992). She died in 2001, aged 99 years. Her papers are archived in the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan. A condominium complex in Ann Arbor is named Wickliffe Place after Letty M. Wickliffe.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wickliffe, Letty M. 1902 births 2001 deaths People from Ann Arbor, Michigan 20th-century American educators University of Michigan alumni Delta Sigma Theta members 20th-century American women educators Educators from Michigan People from Indianapolis Educators from Indiana