“W” is for Wofford, Kate Vixon (1894-1954)

“W” is for Wofford, Kate Vixon (1894-1954). Educator. A native of Laurens, Wofford graduated from Winthrop College and soon began teaching at Laurens High School. In 1922 she was elected to the first of two terms as Laurens County superintendent of schools, the first female school superintendent in South Carolina and the first woman elected to public office in the state. Active in the South Carolina State Teachers Association, she was the first woman to serve as its president. In 1930 Wofford continued her education receiving her Ph.D. from Columbia University. She then became head professor and director of rural education at State Teachers College, Buffalo, New York. The author of two books, Modern Education in the Small Rural School and Teaching in Small Schools, Kate Vixon Wofford was nationally renowned for her expertise in rural education.