Kathryn E. Nelson was a prominent educator and civic leader who is also known for work in breaking down racial barriers and fostering racial understanding. She was born Kathryn Elizabeth Bryan on June 30, 1925, in Detroit, Michigan, to Lord Bryan and Willie Mae Seales. Her father was a college graduate who worked for Ford, and her mother was a teacher. Her circumstances changed dramatically, however, when her parents separated when she was five. Her parents’ parting resulted in a move to Memphis, Tennessee, where her mother had family. In Memphis, she grew up in a nurturing environment with strong support, particularly from her great-grandmother, whom she often cited as a source of inspiration.

Nelson was bright and ambitious, and upon graduation from high school she received three scholarships. She chose to matriculate at her hometown HCBU, Le Moyne Owens College, where she received a degree in social science. She moved on to Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary where she pursued a joint master’s in religious education. Following graduation, she worked on a Navajo reservation and then accepted a position as director of Christian education for the Episcopal Missionary District in Haiti in 1949. During her stay in Haiti, she served as an interpreter for Mary Mcleod Bethune when the famed educator and activist made her first and only visit to the country in that same year.

Nelson left her position in Haiti in 1952 to return to the United States to marry her college sweetheart, Clyde Nelson, who like so many black professionals made the move to St. Louis to work at Homer G. Phillips Hospital. She did not immediately resume her professional career full-time due to family responsibilities. She worked as a substitute teacher and was involved in several voluntary pursuits. In 1960, she began working as a social worker at Annie Malone Children’s Home. She went on to join the staff and faculty at St. Louis Community College where she worked for fifteen years. She gained a reputation as a strong advocate for children with an expertise in early education. She worked with children in the St. Louis Public Schools and established a junior kindergarten in the Page Park YMCA that is often cited as a model for Head Start. She also created and hosted a television series on KETC, Growing Together, that focused on parenting and education.

In 1988, she was tapped by the Danforth Foundation as a program director, where she had an additional focus on leadership. She retired from that position in 1993 but ramped up her volunteer activities. Much in demand, she served on the board of directors of the St. Louis Public Library and the board of trustees of Webster University, and she was co-chair of the Forest Park Forever Master Plan Committee and board member of St. Louis 2004. She was also involved with Confluence St. Louis and contributed to the group’s report on racial polarization in St. Louis. Kathryn E. Nelson died January 26, 2006, in St. Louis.