Editor’s note: The Courier & Press and The Gleaner are marking Black History Month with a collection of stories about people, places, and events from local Black history.
Sallie Wyatt Stewart’s name rings in Evansville history for her education and advocacy for children and women.
She was born in 1881 in Ensley before her family moved to Evansville in 1883. At 16, she graduated as valedictorian of Governor High School before pursuing additional studies to become a teacher.
From there, she started her 50-year career as a teacher in the Evansville public school system. In the mid-1920s, she was dean of girls at Evansville’s Douglass High School before the school combined with Lincoln High School, where she was the dean of girls from 1928 to 1951. During her time at Lincoln, she introduced several special subjects, including stenography, mental hygiene and domestic science.
While being a teacher and educator took up most of her time, it did not keep her from getting into organizations that looked to elevate the lives of black community members in Evansville.