Letty M. Wickliffe (January 25, 1902 – April 2, 2001) was an American educator. She directed

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

and

gifted education Gifted education (also known as gifted and talented education (GATE), talented and gifted programs (TAG), or G&T education) is a type of education used for children who have been identified as Intellectual giftedness, gifted or Talent (skill), tal ...

services for black students in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

from the 1930s until the mid-1960s. In retirement, she was a community activist in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

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 The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

.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-Americans who graduated from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1924. She earned a BS 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 List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emp ...

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

Career

Wickliffe taught at Booker T. Washington High School in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

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 Crispus Attucks High School (also known as Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet High School) is a public high school of Indianapolis Public Schools in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. Its namesake, Crispus Attucks (c.1723 – March 5, 1770), was an Africa ...

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 an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

. 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, United States. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,720. It is the principal c ...

, 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 nation ...

, and a Presidential Certificate of Appreciation from

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

. She was made a fellow of the American Association on Mental Deficiency in 1967. Among her gifted-program students was actor

Meshach Taylor Meshach Taylor (; April 11, 1947 – June 28, 2014) was an American actor, widely known for his role as Anthony Bouvier on the CBS sitcom '' Designing Women'' (1986–93), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstandin ...

, 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 Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. In 1987, the organization ...

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 The Bentley Historical Library is the campus archive for the University of Michigan and is located on the University of Michigan's North Campus in Ann Arbor. It was established in 1935 by the regents of the University of Michigan. Its mission ...

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