Dr. Myrna Loy Gilstrap

Dr. Myrna Loy Gilstrap was born in 1935. She attended George Washington Carver High School in Greenville, Texas before obtaining bachelor's and master's degrees from Prairie View A&M University. She also received a Master of Science in Business Education from East Texas State University, now Texas A&M University-Commerce. She earned a Ph.D. in Adult Vocational Education from Texas Women’s University in 1994.

Gilstrap taught at Carver High School, prior to desegregation, and continued at Greenville High School afterwards. She also taught at Clark High School in Ladonia. Gilstrap became the first Black female tenure-track professor at ETSU when she joined the College of Business and Technology in 1971.

Gilstrap achieved many milestones as a faculty member, including being the first Black faculty member to be selected as College/University Business Teacher of the Year by the Texas Business Education Association in 1978, and the first Black faculty member to serve on the Faculty Senate at ETSU.

In addition to her academic career, Gilstrap was elected to the Greenville City Council in 1973, on which she served for 12 years, including 4 as Mayor Pro Tempore.

Dr. Myrna Loy Gilstrap passed away in 2014 in Greenville, Texas.