Thelma Mothershed Wair, one of the prominent figures in the civil rights movement as one of the nine Black students who bravely integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, has passed away at the age of 83. Her sister, Grace Davis, confirmed that Wair died on Saturday at a Little Rock hospital due to complications related to multiple sclerosis.
These extraordinary students, known as the Little Rock Nine, faced immense hostility from a mob of white segregationists in 1957. For three weeks that September, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus employed the National Guard to prevent their entry into Central High School. This act of defiance came a mere three years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional. It was not until September 25, 1957, that President Dwight D. Eisenhower intervened by dispatching members of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division to protect the students as they integrated into the school.
During this tumultuous period, Davis was a student at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, while her sister was among the group facing the challenges of integration alongside other members, including Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, and Melba Pattillo. Reflecting on that time, Davis shared her experience of thinking that her sister would be safe amidst the racial tensions documented in Little Rock. Despite the hostility, she noted, “I didn’t think anybody was really going to hurt her… People would say things that were mean, but they never really hurt anybody.”
The harassment the Little Rock Nine endured included name-calling and minor acts of intimidation, although Wair did not encounter any serious physical confrontations. Following continued resistance to integration, Faubus shut down all Little Rock schools in 1958 in an effort to prevent integrated education. Wair completed her schooling in another state; her credits were eventually transferred back, allowing her to graduate from Central High School.
Wair’s determination shone through despite serious health conditions throughout her life. Born with a congenital heart defect, she was advised that she might not live past her teenage years. Yet, she defied the odds and celebrated her 16th birthday, demonstrating her zest for life to her family. Her spirit of perseverance was evident to those who knew her.
Academically accomplished, Mothershed earned a bachelor’s degree in home economics education from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and a master’s in guidance and counseling from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. In 1965, she wed Fred Wair, with whom she had one son, Scott, and was blessed with two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. After her husband passed away in 2005, she returned to Little Rock.
Her professional journey included a decade of teaching home economics in East St. Louis, Illinois, followed by 18 years as an elementary career education counselor. She retired in 1994 but also contributed to her community by working with the Juvenile Detention Center in St. Clair County and offering survival skills instruction through the American Red Cross.
In recognition of their courageous legacy, each member of the Little Rock Nine received a Congressional Gold Medal, which they collectively donated to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock in 2011. Wair’s legacy as a pioneer in the civil rights movement as well as a dedicated educator and advocate will be remembered long after her passing.