Greensboro College Community Mourns the Death of Its Oldest Living Alumna

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Greensboro College community is mourning the loss of the woman believed to have been the college’s oldest living alumna, Mary Elizabeth Pugh Gildersleeve, a member of the Class of 1938 who passed away Jan. 24, 2020. She was 102.

Gildersleeve was born June 13, 1917, in Greensboro, where she grew up and attended Greensboro College, majoring in French and minoring in history. She was a member of the Dramatic Club and the French Club.

After graduation, she began teaching French at Lexington High School in Lexington, N.C. She retired from teaching in 1949 after marrying George Gildersleeve, who passed away in 1984.

She participated in the Old North State Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and was an active member of Highland Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem.

She is survived by seven great-nephews and two great-nieces and their spouses.

Her graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, at Forsyth Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Highland Presbyterian Church.

Greensboro College provides a liberal arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and, spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.

Founded in 1838 and located in downtown Greensboro, the college enrolls about 1,000 students from 29 states and territories, the District of Columbia, and seven foreign countries in its undergraduate liberal-arts program and six master’s degree programs. In addition to rigorous academics and a well-supported Honors program, the school features a 17-sport NCAA Division III athletic program and dozens of service and recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.greensboro.edu.

Think critically. Act justly. Live faithfully.

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Media Contact:
Lex Alexander, Director of Communications
lex.alexander@greensboro.edu

Greensboro College
815 W. Market St.
Greensboro, NC 27401
336-272-7102, ext. 5398
Cell: 336-707-6617
www.greensboro.edu

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