Edna Gladney
Encyclopedia
Edna Browning Kahly Gladney (January 22, 1886, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
– October 2, 1961, Fort Worth, Texas
) was an early campaigner for children's rights and better living conditions for disadvantaged children.
When Edna Kahly's father, Maurice Kahly, died in 1903, her mother sent young Edna to live with her aunt and uncle in Fort Worth, Texas
. Edna and Samuel William Gladney (October 16, 1878-February 14, 1935) married in 1906 and moved to Wolfe City, Texas
where she began a crusade to clean up a Grayson County
poor farm.
After seeing the horrible treatment of the children there, she arranged for them to be transferred to Reverend IZT Morris’ Children’s Home and Aid Society in Fort Worth. She joined the board of directors for the Society in 1910 and started a free day care facility in Sherman, Texas
that was self-financed.
In 1924, Gladney and her husband moved back to Fort Worth, where Edna became superintendent of the Texas Children's Home and Aid Society in 1927. Gladney successfully lobbied the Texas legislature
to take the word "illegitimate" off birth certificate
s and to ensure adopted children the same inheritance rights of other children. Edna Gladney served as Superintendent of The Texas Children's Home and Aid Society for 33 years. After the Society acquired the West Texas Maternity Hospital in 1950, the Society's members renamed it the Edna Gladney Home (now known as the Gladney Center for Adoption
).http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/GG/yng1.html
Texas Christian University
gave Gladney an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1957. Though she fell ill in 1960, Gladney continued to help with plans for the Home until her death in 1961.
, was released in 1941, and starred Oscar-winning actress Greer Garson
as Gladney.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
– October 2, 1961, Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
) was an early campaigner for children's rights and better living conditions for disadvantaged children.
When Edna Kahly's father, Maurice Kahly, died in 1903, her mother sent young Edna to live with her aunt and uncle in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. Edna and Samuel William Gladney (October 16, 1878-February 14, 1935) married in 1906 and moved to Wolfe City, Texas
Wolfe City, Texas
Wolfe City is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States located at the intersection of state highways 34 and 11. It is approximately seventeen miles north of Greenville in north central Hunt County, and was settled in the 1860s or 1870s when J. Pinckney Wolfe built a mill near the banks of Oyster...
where she began a crusade to clean up a Grayson County
Grayson County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 110,595 people, 42,849 households, and 30,208 families residing in the county. The population density was 118 people per square mile . There were 48,315 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile...
poor farm.
After seeing the horrible treatment of the children there, she arranged for them to be transferred to Reverend IZT Morris’ Children’s Home and Aid Society in Fort Worth. She joined the board of directors for the Society in 1910 and started a free day care facility in Sherman, Texas
Sherman, Texas
Sherman is a city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas, United States. The city's estimated population as of 2009 was 38,407. It is also one of two principal cities in the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
that was self-financed.
In 1924, Gladney and her husband moved back to Fort Worth, where Edna became superintendent of the Texas Children's Home and Aid Society in 1927. Gladney successfully lobbied the Texas legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
to take the word "illegitimate" off birth certificate
Birth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth...
s and to ensure adopted children the same inheritance rights of other children. Edna Gladney served as Superintendent of The Texas Children's Home and Aid Society for 33 years. After the Society acquired the West Texas Maternity Hospital in 1950, the Society's members renamed it the Edna Gladney Home (now known as the Gladney Center for Adoption
Gladney Center for Adoption
- Early History : The Gladney Center for Adoption in Fort Worth, Texas can trace its history back to 1887. Fort Worth was established in 1849 at the close of the Mexican-American War. By 1886 the Texas and Pacific Railway had arrived and at least four stockyards were in service near the railroad...
).http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/GG/yng1.html
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
gave Gladney an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1957. Though she fell ill in 1960, Gladney continued to help with plans for the Home until her death in 1961.
Legacy
A film based on her life and charitable efforts, Blossoms in the DustBlossoms in the Dust
Blossoms in the Dust is a 1941 American film which tells the story of the non-fictional Edna Gladney who takes it upon herself to help orphaned children to find homes, despite the opposition of the "good" citizens who think that illegitimate children are beneath their interest...
, was released in 1941, and starred Oscar-winning actress Greer Garson
Greer Garson
Greer Garson, CBE was a British-born actress who was very popular during World War II, being listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's top ten box office draws in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946. As one of MGM's major stars of the 1940s, Garson received seven Academy Award...
as Gladney.