"Ethelyn Mildred Taylor Chisum" (June 9,1895- January 27,1983)

The daughter of William Henry & Virgie M.(Collins) Taylor;After graduating from Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College in 1913,Ethelyn taught in the public schools of Rock Creek.(Smith County),Waxahachie,and Dallas (1916-23).On September 23,1923,she married John O.Chisum,an optometry student.She did secretarial work from 1925-1928.In 1932 she became attendance teacher at Booker T.Washington high school in Dallas.In
1941 she became dean of the school,a position in which she served until her retirement in 1965.During her tenure as dean she earned a B.S.degree in 1936 and an M.S. in 1959 from Prairie View State College.Ethelyn joined the staff of Southern Methodist University in 1967 to work with the Upward Bound program and remained with SMU until poor health forced her second retirement in November 1982.She served as president of the Dallas Teachers Council,an affiliate of the National Education Association,from 1948-1958 and as an advisor to the council from 1959-1965 Ethelyn was the NEA membership chairwoman for North Texas from 1955-1960.In 1956 she chaired the Dallas Negro Division to improve the Texas Teachers Retirement Plan.She served on a special committee of the Texas Education Agency for the study of teacher-training programs (1955-57) and on the Constitution Committee of the Texas Association of Women Deans and Counselors,the Texas Personnel and Guidance Association,and the Teachers State Association of Texas.Ethelyn was a founder,president,and president,emeeritus of the Dallas Personnel and Guidance Club.
In addition to her involvement with professional organizations,Ethelyn was active in community and civic affairs.In the mid 1950s she served on the board of the Texas Commission on Race Relations.She was a member of the board of management of the of the Maria Morgan branch of the YWCA,a branch she helped establish in 1927 in order to make that program available to Dallas African Americans.Ethelyn also served as president of the North Park-Cedar Springs Civil League and as a member of the board of trustees for the Dallas Metropolitian Chapter of the March of Dimes.Before joining Knight's Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church,she was an active member of the New Hope Baptist Church.She was also a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority;a member and president of the Priscilla Art Club,the oldest Dallas club for African Americans women;and a member of the North Dallas Democratic Women's Club.She served as second vice president of the Prairie View Alumni Association from 1961-1963 and as a member of the executive committee from 1963-1965.