All Press Releases for June 03, 2022

Ruby Lee Magee Celebrated for Dedication to Excellence

Ms. Magee became the first African-American registered voter in Walthall County, Mississippi in 1961



    TYLERTOWN, MS, June 03, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ruby Magee has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

During the early 1960s, Ms. Magee became the first African-American registered voter in Walthall County, after passing a literacy test in the state of Mississippi. Despite having passed the test, she needed to sign a registrar's book in order to be listed as a registered voter, but the registrar refused. She returned home and asked her parents if she should file a complaint with the United States Department of Justice, thus the case of U.S. v. Wood began with sixty-five other African Americans. Through the trial, Ms. Magee found justice and was able to become the only African-American registered voter in Walthall County, Mississippi.

Driven by a passion for excellence, Ms. Magee earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Political Science from Jackson State College in 1962 and completed graduate coursework in English History and German at the University of Texas in Austin and in Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Subsequently, she worked with the United States Department of Justice and did the original research for the Supreme Court case, U.S. v. Mississippi, which declared literacy tests unconstitutional nationwide. From 1964 to 1965 she worked for The American Friends Services' Low-Income Housing Program in Roxbury, Massachusetts where she was the Administrative Assistant to the late Rev. James J. Reeb. Over the years, Ms. Magee gained valuable experience teaching and as Director of the Multipurpose Neighborhood Center Program through Pearl River Valley Opportunity Inc. in Columbia, Mississippi. During this time, she also took graduate classes in Political Science at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Ms. Magee found success in public administration in the 1970s. She was awarded a National Urban Fellowship in 1972 to attend Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and Occidental College in Los Angeles, California where she earned a Master of Arts Degree in Urban Studies. A major highlight of her career was when she was appointed as the Vice-President of the Restoration Funding Corporation, which was the Mortgage Subsidiary of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation in Brooklyn, NY. Ms. Magee was also profiled in the newspaper supplement "A Catalyst For Change" about the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.

Drawing on her extensive expertise, she currently excels as the Proprietor of Magee Tree Farm. Throughout her life, Ms. Magee has been featured in many publications including The World Who's Who of Women, the first and second edition of her "Oral History" published through the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and she also appeared in an article in Essence Magazine. She also writes poetry and several of her poems including "Mississippi Memories," "Playing With The Wind" and "Light And Shadows," were published in Southern Symmetry Magazine. Many of her poems have also been published in various Anthologies.

For her professional achievements, Ms. Magee has been honored on many occasions, including earning an academic scholarship to Jackson State College in 1958, a Southern Education Foundation Fellowship for Graduate Study at the University of Texas in the summers of 1961 and 1962, a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for Graduate Study at Harvard University in 1962, a Radcliffe Fellowship for Graduate Study at Harvard University in 1963, and earning the National Urban Fellowship to Yale University and Occidental College in 1972. As a student at Jackson State College, she contributed as a volunteer at the late NAACP Field Secretary Mr. Medgar W. Evers' Office where she named The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and served as the first Campaign Manager for the late Rev. R.L.T. Smith when he ran for the United States Congress. While a student at Jackson State College, she was also in the First Honors Group, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She was also on the Debating Team and participated in Lyceum Programs reciting poetry in French and German.

At present, in addition to her work on Magee Tree Farm, Ms. Magee plans to publish a portfolio of her poetry and is working on a novel.

About Marquis Who's Who®
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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