Mebane, Mary E., 1933-1992

Mary E. Mebane (1933-1992) was an African American woman writer, born in Durham County, N.C., the daughter of a farmer and a factory worker. She received her B.A. in English and music from North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central University) in 1955 and M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She taught English and composition classes at North Carolina College, South Carolina State College, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is best known for two autobiographical volumes: Mary (1981), which discusses growing up in the South during segregation and her struggles with her family and the black community around her, and Mary, Wayfarer: an autobiography (1983), which recounts her years as a high school teacher, college instructor, Ph.D. candidate, and professor. In 1982, she was a recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

From the guide to the Mary E. Mebane Papers, 1970s-1980s, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)

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