Cowper, Mary Octavine Thompson, 1881-1968.

Social activist. Instrumental in founding first nursery school in Durham, N.C.

From the description of Mary Octavine (Thompson) Cowper Papers, 1895-1969, bulk 1938-1969. (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 16392352

• 1881, May 20: Born Shelbyville, Bedford County, Tennessee.
• 1904: Bachelor of Letters, Drury College, Springfield, Missouri.
• 1907: M.A., Drury College, English as major, French as minor.
• 1909, April 17: Married Frederick Augustus Grant Cowper, Asst. Professor, Modern Language Dept., Drury College.
• 1911: Elected Chairman, Douglas Co., Kansas Woman Suffrage Association.
• 1914: M.A., sociology, University of Kansas.
• 1914 - 1916 : Completed course work for Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Chicago.
• 1918: Moved to Durham with her husband who taught French at Trinity College (now Duke University).
• 1920: Helped organize the North Carolina Chapter of the League of Women Voters.
• 1923 - 1931 : Edited the N.C. League of Women Voters Monthly Bulletin.
• 1924 - 1925 : Awarded a writing fellowship at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where she wrote a study of cotton mill villages.
• 1925: Became Regional Director for the National League of Women Voters.
• 1934: American Association of University Women representative on the Citizens Council of Durham.
• 1937: Chair of the Durham branch, American Association of University Women Social Studies Committee.
• 1938 - 1962 : Executive Director, Durham Nursery School Association.
• 1939 - 1945 : Chair of the Durham office of Civilian Defense - Child Welfare Division.
• 1944: Instrumental in founding Southside Child Care Center.
• 1958: Southside Child Care Center, Durham, N.C., renamed the Mary O. Cowper Child Care Center
• 1968, Oct. 26: Died Durham, N.C.

From the guide to the Mary Octavine (Thompson) Cowper Papers, 1895-1969, (Duke University. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library)