Elizabeth Grady BranchElizabeth Grady Branch was born in Jacksonville, Texas in 1942. She attended Alberta Street Elementary and Frederick Douglass High schools in her hometown. Dr. Branch graduated from the segregated (but dearly loved) Fred Douglass High School in Jacksnville. Her job and career fields were limited in this small struggling town. Standouts included migrant cotton picking, waiting tables in small cafes, field hand, and occasional maid work. However, she found a way to escape the drudgery of poverty through education. She attended Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas. Her degree was in Elementary Education and English. She later attended Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas where she received a Master's in Developmental Reading. Her Doctorate degree was received in Higher Education from North Texas State University in Denton, Texas. It has since been renamed, the University of North Texas. Her career after college afforded her a new lifestyle and many blessings and means to escape poverty. The successful accomplishments of becoming a teacher, a college administrator, and small business owner (day care, tutoring center, and an author) gave her immeasurable joy and opportunities! Through her church, career, and community, she has served on many boards and in many areas where she could live a different lifestyle as well as give back to those in need. Dr. Branch was the first Black woman chosen to lead the Fort Worth's Mayor's Commission on The Status of Women in her city. She was president of the Texas State Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education. She is a past president of the Fannie Mae Heath Cultural club under the historical umbrella of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, founded in 1896, the oldest African American secular organization in existence today. She holds lifetime memberships in TABPHE as well as the NAACP. Dr. Elizabeth Grady Branch has published several books and manuals to help juveniles, young adults, and women to make better choices. Some of these titles include the Man in The Mirror, Working Women in The Winners Circle, Vocabulary Matters, and Reading Skills for Culturally Diverse Students. Choosing to Lift Every Voice and Sing, was released in 2022. It is a book of short seminars to encourage youth to take advantage of the opportunities America has to offer in spite of adversities. Her latest publication is: "A Workbook of Selected Activities to Accompany Chosen Vessels: Uniting of the States of America Before the Semiquincentennial." Elizabeth married her college sweetheart, James "Boogie" Branch, Sr. They have three children, six grandchildren, and two great-grands, Miss "Nova" and Miguel. Read More Read Less
