Interview with Gwendolyn Stroud Booker, July 24, 2019, St. Peter Claver Church, Macon, GA

Booker-Gwendolyn-Stroud_SPCPM_2019-07-24.jpg

Title

Interview with Gwendolyn Stroud Booker, July 24, 2019, St. Peter Claver Church, Macon, GA

Description

Gwendolyn Stroud Booker discusses her years as a child at St. Peter Claver School, converting to Catholicism, and experiences with segregation.

Gwendolyn Stroud Booker, 75, was born in 1944 to Jesse and Otelia Stroud, who were Baptist. Gwendolyn was one of seven children, who also included Alvin, Wilford, Marilyn, Lawrence, Elise, Vernetha Stroud. Gwendolyn and her sister, Vernetha, attended St. Peter Claver School and wanted to become Catholic. Her parents allowed them to convert, but they were still required to the Baptist churches with their parents. Their brother, Lawrence, later became Catholic as well while in college. Gwendolyn married William Booker and became stepmother to Elbert.

After earning a Master’s degree, Gwendolyn became a teacher in the Bibb County Public School System. She worked in several schools in the area, including Northeast High School, where she was also a coach for cheerleading, track, and basketball. Gwendolyn retired from education after 34, but continues to be active in the church community. Along with her activity in the church, Mrs. Booker is a member of the Council of Catholic Women and the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary.


Bettye Middlebrooks is a longtime member of St. Peter Claver Parish in Macon, GA, and a member of the Black Catholic History Advisory Board to the Archives.

Katy Lockard is the Director of Archives & Records Management for the Catholic Diocese of Savannah.

Date

July 24, 2019

Rights

Archives & Records Management Department, Catholic Diocese of Savannah, Copyright 2019.

This material is protected by US copyright. Permission to print, reproduce or distribute copyrighted material is subject to the terms and conditions of fair use as prescribed in the US copyright law. Transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written and explicit permission of the copyright owners.

Language

English

Duration

13 minutes, 43 seconds

Interviewer

Bettye Middlebrook and Kathryn Lockard

Interviewee

Gwendolyn Booker

Location

St. Peter Claver Parish

Time Summary

one-minute interverals

Citation

Office of Archives and Records, Catholic Diocese of Savannah, “Interview with Gwendolyn Stroud Booker, July 24, 2019, St. Peter Claver Church, Macon, GA,” Diocese of Savannah's Black Catholic History, accessed March 28, 2024, https://diosavblackcatholichistory.omeka.net/items/show/20.