Mary Gaither McKlurkin
1933 - 2010
Mary Gaither McKlurkin was the granddaughter of Willie C. “Bro William” Gaither, a former slave who helped build two churches, Tamer Bridge and Cotter’s Hill, and who was the bell ringer at Old Church. He could play just about any instrument and started a band that performed at Oxford College. Mary’s mother, Americus Lackey Gaither was a laundress who worked for the Cody family.
“Mother McKlurkin,” as she was affectionately known, lived her entire 89 years of life in the Oxford home in which she was born, except for a brief period of time she spent in Michigan studying to be a physical therapist. McKlurkin was known as the unofficial historian for the African American community in Oxford. For decades she assisted the city without pay in identifying the location of older African American family burial plots, as many records were unavailable or misplaced. At a time when the community was torn over the legacies of segregation in the Oxford Historical Cemetery, Mrs. Gaither was a peace-keeping force, talking to all concerned parties, helping to bring about an equitable solution in which all of Oxford now takes pride.
Her eldest daughter, Mary Ann, is a graduate of Spellman College.
“Mother McKlurkin,” as she was affectionately known, lived her entire 89 years of life in the Oxford home in which she was born, except for a brief period of time she spent in Michigan studying to be a physical therapist. McKlurkin was known as the unofficial historian for the African American community in Oxford. For decades she assisted the city without pay in identifying the location of older African American family burial plots, as many records were unavailable or misplaced. At a time when the community was torn over the legacies of segregation in the Oxford Historical Cemetery, Mrs. Gaither was a peace-keeping force, talking to all concerned parties, helping to bring about an equitable solution in which all of Oxford now takes pride.
Her eldest daughter, Mary Ann, is a graduate of Spellman College.
