Thelma Mothershed-Wair | |
|---|---|
 Mothershed-Wair with Rep. Vic Snyder in 2005 | |
| Born | Thelma Mothershed November 29, 1940 Bloomburg, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | October 19, 2024 (aged 83) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Education | Little Rock Central High School |
| Occupation | Teacher |
| Known for | One of the Little Rock Nine |
| Spouse | Fred Wair |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Congressional Gold Medal (1999) |
Thelma Mothershed-Wair (née Mothershed; November 29, 1940 – October 19, 2024) was an American activist who was the eldest member of the Little Rock Nine group, who attended Little Rock's Central High School following the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education court case. The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine African-American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Their enrolment was followed by the Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering the racially segregated school by Orval Faubus, then Governor of Arkansas. They were able to attend due to the intervention of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.