Mary Frances Early featured as a Georgia Groundbreaker
Growing up in Atlanta, Mary Frances Early gathered around the radio with her family and listened to classical music. Her father was an amateur singer—at church and social events—and loved music, but he wasn’t able to go to the symphony because it was segregated. So the family made do with “The Bell Telephone Hour.”
Early inherited her enthusiasm for music from her father, who died when she was only 12. She went on to pursue degrees in music education – and make history.
Early—who became the first African American to graduate from the University of Georgia in 1962—is being honored by UGA as a courageous trailblazer. But her influence extends far beyond Athens.