Words to Inspire: Oseola McCarty

If you want to feel proud of yourself, you’ve got to do things you can be proud of.

It’s heartwarming to know that good, selfless people still exist in our society. One such person was Oseola McCarty, who died at the age of 91. Her obituary in the New York Times stated that, in anticipation of her death, at age 87 in 1995, Miss McCarty donated $150,000 to a scholarship fund at the University of Southern Mississippi to help poor students. The truly amazing thing, however, was that she was far from a wealthy woman. In fact, she washed clothes for a living, and the $150,000 represented her entire life savings. The selflessness of her gift garnered her worldwide and national attention, and she received numerous awards, shook hands with President Bill Clinton, and was honored by the United Nations. Upon hearing of her donation, contributions began pouring into the scholarship find, eventually adding some $330,000 to the original gift of $150,000… Miss McCarty had this to say about her actions: “There’s a lot of talk about self-esteem these days. It seems pretty basic to me. If you want to feel proud of yourself, you’ve got to do things you can be proud of. Feelings follow actions.”

Source: Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette’s Portfolio Manager’s Weekly, 7/26/2000