portrait painted by RICHARD wilson / photography by nancy evelyn

“I felt very moved by the way the portrait turned out, and where it was placed,” says Mary Frances Early, after its placement in the Administration Building during the painting’s unveiling in October. She was the first African American to earn a UGA degree, receiving a master’s degree in music education in 1962. In 1967, she earned a Specialist in Education degree. The President’s Medal was awarded to Early in 2018 by President Morehead. Last fall the documentary “Mary Frances Early: The Quiet Trailblazer” premiered in Atlanta.