SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. — A South Carolina woman was celebrated with a parade on Saturday in honor of her 100th birthday.
Dr. Edna Louise Davis, recently 100, was celebrated with a drive-thru parade on Saturday from the Sumter First Baptist Church to her home in Sumter.
According to the information received from Minerva L. Paige, Dr. Davis was born on January 27, 1921 in Sumter and was the youngest of three.
She then moved to Tuskegee, Alabama where she lived on a government reservation and began school, according to Paige. She graduated from the Tuskegee Institute in 1937 as Valedictorian then went on to earn her Bachelor's Degree, membership into Pi Kappa Lambda National Honor Society in Music, and Master of Music Education degree at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio. This followed credits earned at the Julliard School of Music. She received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Boston University, according to Paige.
She worked at Jackson State College teaching in the music department and would often perform with the Harmonia Music Club. She went on to teach at Elizabeth City, North Carolina State College where she eventually became the head of the music department and the Chairman of the Music Department after that.
She was very active in her community, joining councils and clubs including he National Council of Negro Women.
After she retired, she returned to South Carolina. She continued her involvement in the community, and was cited by the South Carolina House of Representatives and the Senate for distinguished services to the citizens of Sumter County in 2002, according to Paige.
She now spends most of her time reading, talking with family and friends and keeping up to date on the latest events.
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