Oseola McCarty: Pennies to Philanthropist by Linda Harris Sittig

There is no way that Oseola McCarty would ever have dreamed that one day she would become the woman who financed college educations for others.

You see, Oseola dropped out of school at the age of twelve and never stepped back inside a classroom again.

Her Story Begins

Born in 1908 in rural Mississippi, Oseola was raised in Hattiesburg by her grandmother and aunt. From an early age, Oseola learned the principles of a strong work ethic. When she returned home from school each day, she worked helping her grandmother and aunt with the piles of laundry they took in as their means of employment.

To her grandmother and aunt’s credit, they paid Oseola a small weekly sum and encouraged her to save that money. Week in, week out, Oseola would stow the pennies, dimes, nickels, and quarters inside her doll buggy.

But when Oseola was in the sixth grade, her aunt fell seriously ill and could no longer work. Oseola immediately dropped out of school to help take care of her aunt and take over her aunt’s share of the laundry workload.

At the age of twelve, Oseola became a professional washerwoman.

 But unlike other folks who might become bitter about the circumstances, Oseola took great pride in her work and derived a sense of satisfaction from a job well done.

Oseola’s Work Ethic

By 1920 Oseola’s world revolved around washing laundry by hand on a hard wooden washboard. According to Oseola, she would “go outside early in the morning and start the fire under the wash pot. Then I would soak, wash, and boil a load of clothes. Then they would have to be rinsed, wrenched, starched, and hung out on the line.” A workday for Oseola would often end around 11 pm after she finished all the ironing. Her skill as a laundress became legendary in Hattiesburg, and she did not retire until the age of eighty-six.

Her Legacy

So how did she become a philanthropist?

Remember the money in the doll buggy? Within a year from stashing cash in the doll buggy, she opened a savings account in a local bank. AND NEVER WITHDREW A SINGLE PENNY.

As the years went on, her savings grew.

In 1995, at age 86, when her hands swollen with arthritis made handwashing clothes impossible, she decided to withdraw all her savings and do something with the money.

The amount had grown to $280,000, more than enough for Oseola to live comfortably for the rest of her life. Instead, she withdrew $150,000 and donated it to the University of Southern Mississippi to start a scholarship for needy Black students.

Oseola lived a few blocks from the university, but because of segregation, she had never stepped foot on the property.

At first, several neighbors and friends chided her for giving her money to a school that had been whites-only. She replied, “Well, they let colored people in there now.”

The first student to receive a McCarty scholarship was Stephanie Bullock, president of the senior class in Hattiesburg. She had a twin brother, and her family could only afford to send one child to college. With Oseola’s help, they both were able to attend.

As word spread throughout Hattiesburg of Oseola’s generosity, many town residents began to contribute to the scholarship fund, eventually tripling the total sum.

For the rest of her life, Oseola continued to live frugally, walk everywhere, and started every day with a prayer to God, thanking Him for her bountiful life.

Towards the end, she commented that her only regret was that she did not have more money to give away.

Ripples

Here is a perfect example of how one person can impact the world. With only a sixth-grade education, her act of generosity spread far beyond Mississippi. When billionaire Ted Turner heard Oseola’s story, he told the New York Times, “if that little woman could give away almost all she had, I can certainly give a billion (to charity).”

To date, 44 students have received the full-tuition McCarty Scholarship.

Strong women send out ripples that can change the world.

Thank you to blog-follower Ann Paciulli for sharing Oceola’s poignant story with me.

Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay

~ Linda

If you know of a strong woman who did not get the credit she deserved, please email me her name. My email appears at the top righthand corner of the blog. And please share the blog with others and urge them to become followers of Strong Women. You can sign up on the lower right side of the blog to receive monthly alerts to my posts.

You can also catch me on Twitter @LHsittig, my web page lindasittig.com, FaceBook at Linda Harris Sittig, and read my novels about Strong Women: Cut From Strong Cloth, Last Curtain Call, and Counting Crows – available in bookstores and online.

Peace and health to one and all.