Miss Carita McEbright was a member of the speech department at The University of Akron and a devoted Shakespearean student. She was a founding member of the Mary Day Nursery and Children’s Hospital and devoted much of her time toward the development of it.
When she became a member of old Buchtel College (now The University of Akron) faculty in 1910, McEbright served as the entire speech department. The Beacon Journaldescribed her as “one of the most beloved figures on the university campus for 25 years.” She remained in the speech department throughout her career, which ended with her retirement in 1935.
Her father, Dr. Thomas McEbright, who was one of Akron’s leading physicians and president of the board of education, influenced McEbright’s interest in education and the hospitals. Her early work experience included teaching physical education and expression in Akron public schools and one year at Congregational College in Yankton, S.D.
As a young woman, McEbright studied under famed Shakespearean actor Robert Mantell and she produced the first Akron Shakespearean program at a Central High graduation. She produced many dramatic programs and participated in early amateur theatricals around 1900.
McEbright attended old Buchtel College as a student for three years and finished her studies at Cornell University in 1887. At Cornell she became a charter member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and later served as faculty advisor for the Akron chapter of the sorority. She was also a member of the Akron Panhellenic Association.
McEbright shared the same commitment to community activities as her sister Katherine McEbright Milliken. McEbright held the position of secretary in “Daughters of the King” and she served on the original Mary Day Nursery board and as president of the organization. In 1905 she helped establish the Mary Day Nursery’s Ward for Crippled Children and from 1918-1919 she served on the Mary Day Nursery publicity committee.
Until her death in 1940, McEbright was a member of the Women’s Board of Children’s Hospital and she served as secretary of that board for a time. In 1911, she became a charter member of the College Club. McEbright was a founding member of the Little Theater movement in Akron and she served as honorary president of the Cornell Club of Akron as well. She was a member of the First Congregational Church throughout her life and she had membership in the Burns Club and the Art and History Class.
At the age of 75, McEbright suffered a stroke and died suddenly. She died in her home, 386 East Market St., which had belonged to the McEbright family since 1903.
Photo courtesy of The University of Akron Archives.
–Janelle Baltputnis