10/25/2025
Oseola McCarty: The Washerwoman Who Changed Lives
Oseola McCarty of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, left school after sixth grade to care for her ill grandmother. “I planned to go back,” she later recalled, “but I was too old to be with my classmates. So I kept working.” For more than seventy years, she earned her living washing and ironing clothes by hand for local families—boiling water, scrubbing, rinsing, and pressing every piece with quiet dedication.
She lived simply, never owned a car, and saved every dollar she could. Each month, she deposited part of her modest earnings into a savings account. Over decades, her savings quietly grew to more than $250,000. In 1995, at the age of 87, she astonished the nation when she donated $150,000 to the University of Southern Mississippi to fund scholarships for students who could not afford college.
“I never minded work,” she said. “But maybe I can help make it so they don’t have to work as hard as I did.” Her generosity sparked national admiration and inspired thousands of other donations. McCarty received the Presidential Citizens Medal and became a symbol of humility, perseverance, and faith in education.
Oseola McCarty passed away in 1999, but her scholarship fund continues to support students today—proving that kindness and consistency, not wealth, define a legacy.
Sources
The New York Times. “Washerwoman Gives $150,000 to University.” July 26, 1995.
The Associated Press. “Oseola McCarty, Washerwoman Who Gave Fortune to College, Dies.” September 27, 1999.
The University of Southern Mississippi. “The Oseola McCarty Scholarship Fund.” 1995.
Clinton, Bill. Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World. Knopf, 2007.
Trustmark National Bank Archives. “Oseola McCarty Donation Records.” 1995.
