The history of Helen Nancy Carter

For those of you who would like to hear "the rest of the story" about Helen Nancy Carter, here are some interesting facts about her life. As the Southeast Missourian printed in an article of Jan. 21, 2018, Helen Carter was the First African American to graduate from Southeast Missouri State College. She had attended college two years at Lincoln University in Jefferson City and then completed her degree in education here in May 1956. She was born May 10, 1902 and died Jan. 28, 1996 at the Bond Nursing Care Center in Marble Hill, Missouri. Some records show she was teaching school in 1923, which means she taught without a certificate, but that was common in that time. Her roommate during college was Roberta Slayton, who also graduated from Southeast and taught school at Hayti, Missouri. Both of these ladies are buried at Fairmount Cemetery in Cape Girardeau in Section 11, lot 50. You can find memorial pages for them on the website find-a-grave. If you have questions or additional information, click on my name and leave a message and I will get back to you. This information was from many people who helped: Jim Crites at the city cemetery office; Ed Pikes (a walking encyclopedia of history in South Cape); the Southeast Alumni office; Historical Archives in Jackson; our neighbor Steve Lee and many more. To them we say "thanks."

RUTH SMITH, Cape Girardeau