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Carolyn Thornton wins award
Carolyn Thornton, the 93-year young community volunteer, columnist with the Nevada Daily Mail as well as mother and long-time pastor’s wife, was recently honored with the Woman of Distinction award.
Presented biennially by the American Association of University Women of Missouri, the award was accepted on May 5, in absentia by Sheryl Baer, president of the AAUW branch of Nevada.
Said, Thornton, “I was aware of my being nominated because Sheryl [Baer] had contacted me for information. But really, it was honor enough to have been nominated, which was really nice of our branch.”
Thornton has been a member of AAUW since the 1950s.
“For their time, my parents were fairly progressive,” said Thornton. “My folks had a farm in the big city of Ellis. My mother helped start the Ellis Domestic Science Club which is still going, although I’m not sure how much time they talk about sewing, cooking or laundry,” she said with a laugh.
Thornton’s parents – Pearl and Chester Gray – both had some education beyond high school and each taught school for a number of years.
Although she was the youngest of three boys and five girls, Thornton said, “Throughout our lives, our parents never favored the boys over the girls. While nothing was handed us, they did offer every one of us an equal opportunity while making the most of it was up to us.”
Chester Thornton became the director of the Missouri Farm Bureau and then, based in the nation’s capital, he directed the American Farm Bureau for many years until he retired. She noted how security was a lot more lax and access to the capitol and White House were far easier.
“FDR [President Franklin Delano Roosevelt] would see daddy and say, ‘Well Chester, what are you here for today that I’m not going to be able to give you?’ But with the AAA [Agricultural Adjustment Act] and other New Deal legislation, farmers did start to get help and my dad was a part of it.”
Thornton’s older siblings attended George Washington University in the capital or the nearby University of Maryland. Thornton’s first semester was at Maryland but she and her older sister – Ellen, who had already had a degree from Maryland but wanted to continue her studies – went to the University of Missouri.
“I was in school during the war [World War II] years,” said Thornton. “About the only guys on campus were those who were 4-F, rejected for military service, usually due to a health problem.”
That was when and where Carolyn Gray met the man to whom she would be married for 71 years.
“He had pretty significant blood pressure problems which nowadays they can easily control with medication, but not back then,” she said.
Graduating in 1946, the same year she married Lester Thornton, Carolyn had minored in what was termed Home Economics and majored in English.
“As I studied English, there was a lot I enjoyed but the most important thing I learned was to write about what you know,” she said.
Due to Parkinson’s Disease she now dictates her columns, a daughter types them while a son reads and submits them.
Thornton spoke of how she still enjoys taking common subjects and writing about them so her readers see them in an uncommon way.
Asked about her favorite author she said, “Oh that’s easy. My favorite author is my late sister, Ellen Gray Massey, and second only to Lester, she was my best friend.”
The Woman of Distinction Award was established by AAUW-Missouri in 1984; Thornton is its 26th recipient. She is the first recipient who does not reside in a large city. Her nomination form uses small typescript and fills two pages.
“There are a lot of things on there but the two I’m most proud of were planning AAUW events with then Cottey President, Dr. Blanche Hinman Dow and being the grant-writer and first director of The Neighbors Center [329 E. Walnut],” she said.
Besides leading Cottey for 16 years before retiring in 1965, from 1963 to 1967, Dow also served as national president of AAUW.
Thornton, who has served as Nevada branch president, clearly enjoyed working with Dow and appreciated hearing about state and national projects.
She said, “I don’t think I was ever really what you’d call a feminist but I was what you’d call an independent person.”
By that she was referring to her view of the importance of every woman to be able to stand on her own two feet and have the self-assurance to think and express herself clearly.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of Lester and I do miss him so,” said Thornton. “But back when I was young – and I’m told it’s still true today – so many women lack self-confidence and feel as if they need a man for emotional support.”
She spoke of how, although he was a pastor and might be expected to want a wife who never was outspoken, Lester encouraged his wife to be herself and serve as a model to their two sons and two daughters.
As she became close with several friends in Nevada, she learned of their family members whose handicaps required a good deal of care. None received government help for this or were of independent financial means to hire someone on their own.
“The terms they use today for this is adult day-care and respite care, and that’s what The Neighbor’s Center gives people in this area,” said Thornton.
Forming a coalition to help with the project she spoke of several including then minister of Nevada’s United Methodist Church, Scott Hall.
Thornton wrote the grant application which was funded by the Moss Trust.
“They required us to get the word out, raise operating funds and figure out how we would run it,” said Thornton. “There was a lot to do and it was quite involved but it was very rewarding.”
Thornton served for seven years as the center’s first director.
“My work on The Neighbors Center is really why I got most of my other awards,” said Thornton.
Those awards include being Nevada’s 1994 Citizen of the Year as well as receiving the 1992 Women Helping Women award from Nevada’s branch of Soroptimist International and being named the 1996 Woman of the Year by Nevada’s Business and Professional Women’s club.
In addition, the Missouri Writers’ Guild recognized her in 2002 with its best historical article award and in 2005 with its best magazine column award.
Said Thornton, “Receiving awards is nice but if what I write or what I’ve done helps people, that is the great reward.”