Fay Webb-Gardner
Fay Webb-Gardner | |
---|---|
Second Lady of North Carolina | |
Assumed role January 11, 1917 – January 12, 1921 | |
Governor | Thomas Walter Bickett |
Lieutenant Governor | Oliver Max Gardner |
Preceded by | Mary Odom Daughtridge |
Personal details | |
Born | Fay Lamar Webb September 7, 1885 Shelby, North Carolina, U.S. |
Died | January 16, 1969 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. | (aged 83)
Resting place | Sunset Cemetery, Shelby, North Carolina |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Oliver Max Gardner |
Children | 4 |
Parent(s) | James L. Webb Kansas Love Andrews |
Relatives | Edwin Y. Webb (uncle) Margaret Gardner Hoey (sister-in-law) |
Residence | Webbley |
Education | Lucy Cobb Institute |
Fay Lamar Webb-Gardner (September 7, 1885 – January 16, 1969) was an American political hostess, businesswoman, and philanthropist. As the wife of
Gardner–Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, was named after her and her husband after they made significant financial contributions to the school. Webb later served on the university's board of trustees and as the president of the Gardner Foundation, which helped support the university. An amateur genealogist and member of a prominent North Carolinian family, Webb-Gardner was active in the Colonial Dames of America, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Early life, education, and family
Fay Lamar Webb was born on September 7, 1885, in
She attended Shelby public schools and later the Lucy Cobb Institute, a girls' boarding school in Athens, Georgia, graduating from the latter with honors in 1905. Afterward, Webb spent two years traveling in Europe before marrying lawyer Oliver Max Gardner, her distant cousin, on November 6, 1907.[1][7]
Public life
Webb-Gardner was a prominent political and society hostess throughout her husband's political and legal career in North Carolina, where he worked as a lawyer and served as a state legislator, lieutenant governor, and governor; and in Washington, D.C., where he served as Chairman of the Advisory Board of the
Webb-Gardner participated in campaigning activities for her husband and for other members of the Democratic Party.
Webb-Gardner owned and managed various business properties in Shelby.[1] She was an executive of the Cleveland Cloth Mills of Shelby and served as director of the Gardner Land Company.[1]
Genesis of Gardner-Webb University
Her involvement with Gardner-Webb University began when she and her husband provided financial assistance to the Boiling Springs Junior College, a small Christian educational institution which was facing financing challenges in the 1930s and early 1940s. She served as both a trustee of the school and as the president of the Gardner Foundation, an organization charged with preserving the school.[9] In an act of gratitude to Webb-Gardner and her husband for their service to the school, the school's board of trustees renamed the institution as Gardner-Web University in 1942.[10]
Personal life
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Webbly_%28O._Max_Garner_House%29_-_Shelby%2C_NC.jpg/250px-Webbly_%28O._Max_Garner_House%29_-_Shelby%2C_NC.jpg)
Webb-Gardner was an amateur genealogist and collected research and primary documents dating back to the early 1800s pertaining to the Webb, Andrews, Love, and Gardner families of Cleveland and Rutherford counties in North Carolina.[4] A large portion of the collection documents her extensive involvement in her husband’s political career and in her own valued organizations.[11][12] She was an active member of the Colonial Dames of America, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy.[1][3]
The Gardners had four children: Margaret Love, James, Ralph, and Oliver Max, Jr.[1][2] They lived at Webbley, the family's estate in Shelby.[13] The couple took up residence in the Mayflower Hotel Washington, D.C. during her husband's career there.[8] After her husband's death, shortly after he had been appointed as the Ambassador of the United States to the Court of St James, she retired to Webbley to live with her sister, Madge Webb Riley.[13] She and her sister had inherited the house from their father.[14]
Death and legacy
On January 10, 1969, Webb-Gardner suffered a stroke. She died in a hospital in Charlotte on January 16, 1969, and was subsequently buried at Sunset Cemetery in Shelby.[1]
In 2017, Gardner-Webb University received a gift from the Gardner Foundation to support undergraduate research by establishing the Fay Webb Gardner Master Mentorship Program. Dr. June Hobbs,[15] director of undergraduate research at Gardner-Webb was named the Fay Webb-Gardner Chair of Student Success in 2018.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Ham, Marie Sharpe; Blake, Debra A.; Morris, C. Edward (2001). "Gardner, Fay Lamar Webb". NCPedia. North Carolina Government & Heritage Library. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Family History". O Max Gardner Foundation, Inc. May 19, 2015.
- ^ a b c "The Political Graveyard: Gardner family of Shelby, North Carolina". politicalgraveyard.com.
- ^ a b "Family Histories (Webb, Andrews, & Love) - Written by Fay Webb Gardner | Series 2 - Genealogical Research (Gardner, Webb, Andrews, Love, & Blanton families) | Gardner-Webb University". digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
- ^ "Gardner Family History – Max Gardner Law PLLC".
- ^ "Historical Wedding Venue | the Banker's House". 5 March 2018.
- ^ "Gardner Family History – Max Gardner Law PLLC". maxgardner.com.
- ^ a b c Wall., Zeno (1927-07-19). "Oliver Max Gardner Papers, 1892-1966". finding-aids.lib.unc.edu. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
- ^ "O Max Gardner Foundation, Inc". O Max Gardner Foundation, Inc. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
- ^ "Fact Sheet". Gardner-Webb University. 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
- ^ "North Carolina". MyLO. 2019-07-29. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
- ^ "Daughters of the American Revolution". Daughters of the American Revolution. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
- ^ a b "Webbley: Shelby, North Carolina: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary". www.nps.gov.
- ^ "Webbley: Shelby, North Carolina: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary". NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved 2021-04-04.
- ^ "Dr. June Hadden Hobbs". Gardner-Webb University. Retrieved 2021-06-23.