?Mississippi Md: A Personal Cultural History Of An Amerin State|Gayle Graham Yat.

Yat, Gayle Graham died on Thursday, April 27th at our home Mneapolis. She would have been 83 years old on Saturday, May 6th had she lived. She was foremost an pennt spir, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a relative, a retired profsor, a lleague, a neighbor, and a iend whose iendships om those eight s were eply etched to her life. Her first child, Natasha, was born 1963 Cambridge, Massachetts and her send child, Stil, was born St Pl the fall of 1967 soon after she and her hband, Wilson, moved to New Brighton, MN where he had accepted a posn at Uned Theologil Semary of the Tw Ci. She soon began work on her Ph.D. Amerin Studi at the Universy of Mnota and upon fishg her gree, she tght at Uned and the Universy each half time for two years and then beme full time at the Universy the Women Studi Program. She helped create the program and served as s first full time faculty director before returng to Amerin Studi 1982 where she tght until she retired. She also spent two semters the 1990s teachg at the Universy of Munich and a semter at Hamburg Universy Berl followed by a semter at the Universy of Amsterdam. Durg this time, she was eply volved the European Amerin Studi Associatn. She wrote five books that reflected her areas of amic tert. Her first work, "What Women Want", was published by Harvard Prs 1975 and lnched her work Women's Studi; her send book rearched and wrten England was "Harriet Marte on Women". She later published a cultural and personal study of morn Mississippi, "Mississippi Md"; a work wrten to her first granddghter, "Ethics for Jsi, Medatns on Livg", and a return to her tert Mississippi wh the publitn of "Life and Death a Small Southern Town". She served as the Chair of UMRA, The Universy's Retire Associatn; Print of the Friends of the Library; and sat on the Weisman Art Mm Board among her servic on boards and mte. She was a published poet the mid-years of her life. Gayle was born Shubuta on a farm the pey woods sectn of Mississippi to Gleta and Robert Graham. She had one brother, Merrill, a , Martha Rose, as well as other close relativ cludg Aunt Irma, Aunt Bsie, Aunt 'Cile and Uncle Charl. Unr the tutelage of Aunt 'Cile, she learned to read at three cludg passag om the Kg Jam Versn of the Bible. She did her unrgraduate work at Millsaps College Jackson and her MA gree at Vanrbilt Universy Nashville. She did further study at Boston Universy Divy School before her doctoral work at Mnota. Her service will be held at Hennep Avenue Uned Methodist Church Mneapolis on June 3rd at 2:00 pm followed by a receptn. All iends of Gayle or her fay are wele!