Crossing the River Jordan Award

Previous Winners

Oseola McCarty (1996)
Oseola McCarty never had a chance to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, located in her hometown of Hattiesburg. She never even had a chance to attend seventh grade, but her incredible generosity will enable underprivileged minority students to attend the university for years to come.

As a child she dreamed of being a nurse, but Oseola McCarty had to leave school after sixth grade to take in laundry and help support her family. After 75 years of quiet, frugal living, Ms. McCarty retired from her work as a laundress and decided to gives others the education opportunities she never had.

In July 1995, in an act of benevolence that would receive recognition around the world, Oseola McCarty donated $150,000, more than 60 percent of her life’s savings, to establish a scholarship fund at the University of Southern Mississippi. Her donation so inspired the community and the nation that it touched off a fundraising drive that more than tripled the scholarship fund in just over four years.

Ms. McCarty’s gift won her the praise and attention of many individuals and organizations, and, in the three years between her gift and the time her health forced her to cut back on her travel schedule, she accepted literally dozens of awards and honors recognizing her selfless spirit. President Bill Clinton presented her with the Presidential Citizen’s Medal, the nation’s second highest civilian award, at a special White House ceremony, and she also received a prestigious education award from the United Nations. She released a book outlining her straightforward perspective on life, Simple Wisdom for Rich Living, and her generosity and life story were the focus of numerous articles and a biography, The Riches of Oseola McCarty.

In 1996, in recognition of her generosity, and her dedication to ensuring that disadvantaged youth would receive the education she never could pursue, Oseola McCarty received the Crossing the River Jordan Award from Public Education Network at a gala reception at the National Portrait Gallery, touching everyone with her quiet dignity and wisdom. Ms. McCarty passed away in October of 1999.