Wilcox, Louisa Reid, 1898-1945

Louisa Reid Wilcox received an A.B. degree from Queens College, Charlotte, N.C., in 1917 and a B.A. (1917) and M.A. (1921) from the University of North Carolina. While pursuing the M.A., Wilcox was a leader in the successful fight to fund a women's dormitory at the University. In 1923, Wilcox married James S. Wilcox of Charlotte, vice-president and treasurer of Johnson Mills, and became a community leader in Charlotte.

From the description of Louisa Reid Wilcox papers, 1917-1945. WorldCat record id: 33082387

Louisa Reid Wilcox was born 15 May 1898 in Gastonia, N.C., the daughter of James Pressley and Cynthia Louisa Kirkpatrick Reid. She received an A.B. degree from Queens College, Charlotte, N.C., in 1917 and a B.A. (1918) and M.A. (1921) from the University of North Carolina. While pursuing the M.A., Louisa was a leader in the successful fight to fund a women's dormitory at the University. Louisa taught at Peace Institute in Raleigh, N.C., 1919-1920, then worked as a substitute teacher at Chapel Hill High School until 1922, when she went to Oxford, England, and the Sorbonne in Paris to continue her studies.

In 1923, Louisa married James S. Wilcox of Charlotte, N.C., vice-president and treasurer of Johnson Mills. The couple had three sons: James Simpson Wilcox, Jr.; Robert Pressley Wilcox; and Benson Reid Wilcox, who became chair of the Surgery Department at the University of North Carolina Medical School. After her marriage, Louisa became a community leader, active in church and civic affairs, especially as a founder of the Charlotte Little Theater. She died in 1945.

Marion Wilcox of Charlotte, N.C., was the sister of James S. Wilcox. She was a Presbyterian missionary in Jiangyin, China, 1924-1942, providing care for poor and orphaned young girls at the Jiangyin mission, teaching literacy courses across the countryside; and providing other services. She moved back to Charlotte, N.C., in 1942, but may have returned to China after World War II. Anna Boyce Lineberger of Belmont, N.C., was a pilot, a Presbyterian, and a donor to the Jiangyin mission. She was the wife of Joseph William Lineberger, a prominant figure in North Carolina's textile industry and an alumnus of University of North Carolina. The Lineberger family formed a foundation in 1944 that dispensed many gifts to the University's medical school and libraries.

From the guide to the Louisa Reid Wilcox Papers, 1917-1945, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)