Name/Title
Beshears, KelsyEntry/Object ID
9999.BHF.236Scope and Content
Beshears, Kelsy.
St. Joseph News-Press March 31, 1998 is a newspaper column written by Ken Newton about how prayer helped a woman fight for civil rights. That story was about Kelsy Beshears. She was going to be 100 that year.
St. Joseph News-Press November 1998 . She was born November 1, 1898 in Bluefield, VVVA, the granddaughter of a slave, and the daughter of a black mother and white father she barely knew. She studied at Bluefield Colored Institute, In 1920, the year women got the vote , she married Dr. Jerry Sterling Cooper. This article continues her life story.
A note in the folder reads-Ida Bell Burns Lindsay--sister of 1st Mrs. Beshears.
St; Joseph News-Press September 26, 1977, the title of the article is Kelsy Beshears attests to great power of love. she states that more can be got by love than by anything else. She told this to 200 people attending a testimonial dinner in her honor. She was honored for he many years of service to the NAACP.
St. Joseph News-Press June 29, 1978, the Allan Bakke ruling was evaluated by Mrs. Beshears.
News-Press Gazette photocopy 1960 story about police booking Negro group. They were arrested for disturbing the peace when they attempted to buy tickets at the Missouri theater.
St. Joseph News-Press June 1, 1977, are pictures where Rev. A. B. Brown accepts the first Kelsy Beshears Racial Justice Award. Sandy Hull also received the award. Jerry Cooper is Kelsy's grand
son and Jean Hunton is her daughter.
The program for the dedication of the Dr. Rufus Preston Beshears Facility Center and the Brookdale East Apartments is in the folder. It was September 30, 1972.
St. Joseph News-Press article Beshears eulogized as believer in 'reasonable men' was a tribute to her.
St. Joseph News-Press December 24, 1989, photocopy-Kelsey B. Beshears and Tom Matthews, general manager of KQTV have been elected members of the Missouri State Committee for the Humanities. Funeral Program --Kelsy B. Cooper Beshears November 1, 1898-January 16, 1999.
St. Joseph News-Press January 17, 1999, tells the story of her civil rights pioneer.
St. Joseph News-Press February 26, 2006, is a picture of Kelsy Beshears in the tribute paid to local black pioneers. The other two were Sharon Barnett first black television news reporter and Alma Mathis who served as president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
St. Joseph News-Press September 26, 1977, is a picture of Margaret Bush Wilson, national chairman of the NAACP, Mrs. Beshears and the Rev. LeRoy Nash. Mrs. Beshears was being honored for her contribution to the NAACP.
St. Joseph News-Press November 5, 1995, Beshears was low-key and effective, an attribute not lost on businessmen who wanted to comply with new federal laws. Cleo Crouch, trucking magnate, turned to her in 1966 when the government told him to open up his firm to minority employees.
St. Joseph News-Press June 1989 Beshears named city's distinguished citizen of the year. She described herself as an activist, but not a cursing one.
St. Joseph News-Press August 11, 1989, is a picture of Kelsy. She talks about some of the people she worked with during years as a civil rights activist.
The News-Press story written by Norman Steward states that there is a movement to have Kelsy Beshears named to fill the City Council vacancy created by the death of John Lucas.
St. Joseph News-Press is a picture of Kelsey Beshears, 96, an original suffragist and leader in the civil rights movement, was honored by the Buchanan County Democratic Women's Club for political activism.
St. Joseph News-Press April 24, 1984, Kelsy Beshears named woman of the year.
St. Joseph News-Press April 16, 1984, Women's career network to honor Kelsy Beshears.
St. Joseph News-Press April 4, 1965, National Freedom of Residence Award to Mrs. Beshears. The award was National Champion of Open occupancy.
St. Joseph News-Press June 15, 1980, Mrs. Beshears is a delegate to democratic Convention.
St. Joseph News-Press August 14, 1980, Beshears: grand political lady at 83. She is the oldest Missouri delegate.
St. Joseph News-Press Kelsy will be belle of banquet. Her lifetime goal has been to have all people, regardless of race, color or creed, live in harmony, peace and equality.
In the St. Joseph News-Press there is a picture of Charles J. Chandler, Arthur Mears, Judge Gary Fenner with Kelsy Beshears.
St. Joseph News-Press September 8, 1977, announces a testimonial dinner for Kelsy Beshears. The tribute will be in recognition of many achievements in advancing the cause of the organization.
St. Joseph News-Press October 26,1997 has a picture of Kelsy Beshears.
St. Joseph News-Press November 3, 1998, Sheridan Logan 98, a well-known St. Joseph historian congratulates Kelsy Beshears at her 100th birthday party.
St. Joseph News-Press July 23, 1992, Kelsy Beshears 93 likes Clinton.
St. Joseph News-Press August 9, 1980, Kelsy Beshears joins the Missouri delegation in New York City for the Democratic National Convention. She is 81.
St. Joseph News-Press August 14, 1980, A representative of the "Free D. C." movement encouraged delegates to support full congressional representation for the District of Columbia. Kelsy Beshears spoke in favor of the proposition.
St. Joseph News-Press October 1, 1972. Over 200 persons gathered at Brookdale East Apartments at 34th and Messanie to dedicate a community facility building in honor of Mrs. Beshears husband, the late Dr. Rufus Preston Beshears.
St. Joseph News-Press December 14, 1977, Kelsy Beshears of St. Joseph was named to the Missouri Housing Development Commission today by Gov. Joseph P. Teasdale.
Kelsy Beshears obituary. -Missouri Western State College named a dormitory in her honor.
Under the title Two Negro Women Have Served on Court Juries is Mrs. Harold S. Glass who served as a juror in a civil case in the court of Circuit Judge Sam Wilcox. She has the distinction of being the first Negro woman to serve on a jury in Buchanan County. Kelsy Beshears is the first Negro woman to serve on a criminal jury in Buchanan County.
Funeral Program of Kelsy B. Cooper Beshears and Remembering card are located in this folder.
St. Joseph News-Press August 3, 1989, a tribute was planned for civic leader Kelsy Beshears. Mrs. Beshears was turning 91.
An article in the St. Joseph News-Press states that Kelsy Beshears did not need to see the television show of "Roots" to find out about the history of blacks in this country. She heard the story while sitting on her grandmother's knee. Her grandmother had been a slave in Virginia.
St. Joseph News-Press April 8, 1990, has an article titled Kelsy deserves much better. The article is about naming seven blocks of Messanie Kelsy Beshears Drive. Because Kelsy was one of St. Joseph's great humanitarians, they should not name a section of a rundown street in honor of a community leader. It was not the proper tribute.
St. Joseph News-Press August 2, 1977, Robert Slater writes a tribute to Kelsy Beshears.
St. Joseph News-Press has an article written by Mark Sheehan about how difficult it is to keep black professional owned businesses in St. Joseph. Mrs. Beshears states the recruitment of black professionals is not an easy task.
St. Joseph News-Press January 17, 1999, has a story how Kelsy Beshears, a slave's granddaughter, became St. Joseph's most prominent civil rights leader.
Kelsy Beshears was born 1898 and lived in St. Joseph, Missouri from 1946 until her death in 1999.
She is graduate of Howard University. she became a teacher and was the first guidance counselor in the Washington D. C. school district. During the depression, she worked as a public assistance case worker visiting the poor in Washingtons' tenements, alleys and under bridges.
At one time she taught night school, worked as a clerk for the US Census Bureau and completed a bachelor's degree in social work at Howard University and did this while being a widow and raising two children. She was a St. Joseph businesswoman. She was a well-known civil rights leader. She was a member of the Women's Democratic Club. She was an alternate delegate to the 1968, 1978 and a full delegate to the 1980 Democratic National Convention. In 1980. She was the oldest delegate to attend the 1980 Convention. She was a member of the League of Women Voters. She was a member of the St. Joseph Equal Right Commission. She was a member of the Missouri Humanities Commission. She was a member of the Missouri Housing Development. She became President of St. Joseph, Missouri Chapter of the NAACP. She then became the State of Missouri President of the NAACP. She was the Developer of the Brookdale East apartment complex. The St. Joseph YWCA and the St. Joseph NAACP Local Chapter have a Justice Award named after Mrs. Beshears. She was awarded the First Woman of the Year Award from the St. Joseph Area Woman's Career Network.
A Dormitory at MWSU is named after Kelsy Beshears. A Memorial scholarship fund is set up at MWSU to honor Kelsy Brown Cooper Beshears. Mrs. Beshears opened the doors of the Missouri Theater to blacks as well as many eating establishments in downtown St. Joseph. She was responsible for the opening of the doors of the YWCA and the YMCA to blacks in the community.
Her first husband was Dr. Jerry S. Cooper. Her second husband was Dr. Rufus P. Beshears, and three stepdaughters, Elaine C. Pugh, Jerrylyn. Washington and Ernestyn C. Mosley. Her mother was Rissie Brown and a brother Joseph Brown. She also has a son Jerry S. Cooper and a daughter Jean C. Hunton, she has 8 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren and 4 great -great grandchildren.
Northwest Missouri State University has a residential building named after Kelsy. Beshears Hall is named in her honor.Collection
Black ArchivesLexicon
LOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials
Civil rightsSearch Terms
Black History, NAACP, Black Civil Rights in St. JosephRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Allan BakkePerson or Organization
Sharon BarnettPerson or Organization
Kelsy BeshearsPerson or Organization
Dr. Rufus P. BeshearsPerson or Organization
Brown, A. B. Rev.Person or Organization
Joseph BrownPerson or Organization
Rissie BrownPerson or Organization
Charles J. ChandlerPerson or Organization
Clinton, BillPerson or Organization
Jerry CooperPerson or Organization
Dr. Jerry Sterling CooperPerson or Organization
Cleo CouchPerson or Organization
Gary FennerPerson or Organization
Mrs. Harold S. GlassPerson or Organization
Sandy HallPerson or Organization
Jean C. HuntonPerson or Organization
John LucasPerson or Organization
Alma MathisPerson or Organization
Matthews, TomPerson or Organization
Arthur MearsPerson or Organization
Ernestyn MosleyPerson or Organization
Rev. LeRoy NashPerson or Organization
Ken NewtonPerson or Organization
Elaine C. PughPerson or Organization
Mark SheehanPerson or Organization
Logan SheridanPerson or Organization
Robert L. SlaterPerson or Organization
Norman StewardPerson or Organization
Washington, JerrylynPerson or Organization
Wilcox, SamPerson or Organization
Wilson, Margaret Bush
