Tragedy and Triumph: The Lives of the Gibbs-Green Survivors
Born to Ulysses Simpson Mayhorn and Ruth Evelyn Staggs Mayhorn in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on September 30, 1950, Gloria Marie Mayhorn Hayes relocated with her family to Tupelo, Mississippi, in December of 1950.
Educated at George Washington Carver High School in Tupelo for all 12 years, Gloria graduated as an honor student and had been a cheerleader for the Carver High Blue Devils. She received her spiritual rearing at the Lane Chapel C.M.E. Church in Tupelo.
In the Fall of 1968, Gloria began her studies at then Jackson State College, where she majored in Exceptional Children Education and was a Tiger cheerleader. When Jackson City Police and Mississippi Highway Patrolmen marched on campus in May 1970, Gloria was shot when they opened fire and sprayed a barrage of 400 bullets in every direction. One of the 12 people who survived their gunshot wounds, Gloria returned to campus and received her BS degree in 1973.
Gloria’s career started at Ackerman High School in the Fall of 1973. A well-respected teacher, she received a certificate of appreciation from Governor William Waller for her work with children in the community.
In July 1976, Gloria married Adron Nash Hayes, Jr., and relocated to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. To this union, three children were born: Adron Nash Hayes III (1977), Jonathan Michael Hayes (1982), and Bridget Nicole Hayes (1983).
During her 33-year career in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Gloria received the Who’s Who in Education three times and the Outstanding Young Woman in America award. She served as an Adjunct Professor at Winston-Salem State University and was appointed to the Southern Accreditation Committee. A three-time attendee to the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Gloria was also an advisor for Star Students in North Carolina.
An ordained minister in the C.M.E. Connectional Church, Gloria retired on January 1, 2007.