Chicago Tribune

She was 1 of 9 black students at an all-white school. At 76, Gloria Ray Karlmark is still writing her own history

Gloria Ray Karlmark walked into the history books when she, along with eight other African American students, walked into Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., in September 1957. Since then, Karlmark has been a member of the Little Rock Nine - nine youths who made federally ordered racial desegregation a reality with their presence at the all-white high school.

Karlmark's educational path eventually led her to Illinois Institute of Technology, where she earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and mathematics in 1965. Her eight-year stint in Chicago during what she calls her "formative years" had her working two part-time jobs - sometimes to pay for transportation as she looked for a job as a chemist or mathematician. She was a waitress at The Medici in Hyde Park in the '60s, briefly served as a temporary

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Chicago Tribune

Chicago Tribune3 min read
Commentary: Why Are Some Banknotes Hot Commodities For Collectors?
Tax Day has now passed, and people have money on their minds. You may have read news reports that people should not spend certain banknotes because they may be worth thousands of dollars, far more than their face value. Before anyone opens their wall
Chicago Tribune1 min readCrime & Violence
Off-duty Chicago Police Officer Fatally Shot In Gage Park
CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Department said a police officer was shot to death while heading home from his shift early Sunday morning. A statement from Mayor Brandon Johnson identified the officer as Luis M. Huesca of the 5th District Priority Respo
Chicago Tribune9 min read
Wind And Solar In Limbo: Long Waitlists To Get On The Grid Are A ‘Leading Barrier’
Ninety miles west of Chicago, the corn and soybean fields stretch to the sky, and dreams of the clean energy future dangle — just out of reach. To the east of Route 52, there’s the first phase of the 9,500-acre Steward Creek solar farm, in the works

Related