A Southern woman with a lifelong mission
Lessons from Keysville Mayor Emma Gresham BY CAROL BADARACCO PADGETT  | Keysville Mayor Emma Gresham (right) was a concerned citizen whose efforts helped improve the quality of life in this small community. Here, in 1987 at the Mount Tabor Church, city council leaders received the good news that the conflict over the city's boundary lines had been resolved. |
“I say to young people, ‘You’re the ones who’ll be running this world after a while, and I’m going to be old. I’m going to be looking to you to take care of me. So I want you to do the very best,’” declares 79-year-old Keysville Mayor Emma Gresham. Gresham is tireless at a time in her life when many folks are simply tired. And in Keysville, she has found a place to focus her impressive energy. Keysville, in Burke County, is home to an official population of 319. The town sits about 25 miles south of Augusta, roughly 19 miles from Waynesboro, the county seat. And after an arduous—and highly publicized—election process beginning in 1985, Gresham finally took the helm in 1988 to make Keysville a full-fledged Georgia township. A legacy of service Serving her community is second nature to Gresham. At a very young age, she began helping others. One of eight children, Gresham was born Emma Rhodes in Reidsville in 1925. Her father, the Rev. Marvin B. Rhodes, was an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) pastor and a teacher, and her mother, Ida, was a church missionary and Sunday school teacher. By 1928, the family moved to neighboring Keysville. “[Growing up] in that kind of environment encouraged me to do outreach work,” Gresham states.
 | Keysville leaders cut the ribbon for their new municipal building in May 2004. It houses the City Hall, courtroom, police department, and water and tax collection offices. |
She went on to attend and graduate from Boggs Academy in Keysville in 1941. At Boggs, Gresham met her husband, Quinten Gresham Sr., a 1940 graduate, who later fought in World War II. The Greshams had four children—a son and three daughters. Gresham followed in her parents’ footsteps by embarking on a 32-year teaching career in Augusta. “I taught second grade, then the last 15 years I taught 12- and 13-year-old mentally handicapped students,” she says. Through her own children, Gresham became active in the Boy Scouts as a scoutmaster. She also formed a group called the Viking Club for children who struggled with their grades. Here, Gresham got her first personal look at politics. “I would take students to the Capitol each year to meet the governor and politicians and get a chance to see them in session,” she recounts. Gresham’s son, Quinten, Jr., an Atlanta-based pastor and clinical services director for Families First, says his mother’s public devotion to serving and teaching others was matched by her private acts. “When I went off to college, I would come home and someone would have my room. My mother was the type of person who was always helping people,” he says. Attaining public office Toward the close of her teaching career, Gresham embarked on a journey to reactivate Keysville. In the early 1980s, Gresham became involved with the Keysville Concerned Citizens, a group seeking better living conditions for the community. In 1983 the group learned that Keysville had been registered as a town and incorporated since 1890.
“I was very upset because we hadn’t had any municipal elections in my lifetime,” Gresham recalls. The group soon set the wheels in motion for Gresham to become the city’s first mayor in 55 years. “I made Keysville my home again in 1985 when I was elected … but I didn’t serve [as mayor] but five hours,” Gresham flatly states. The Keysville Concerned Citizens soon learned that a town charter loophole prevented an official election. According to an Augusta judge, Keysville’s original charter had not correctly spelled out the town’s boundaries, meaning Keysville could not lawfully hold elections. In addition, the town’s charter stated that the last person in office was to hold an election for a successor. And since that person was deceased, no one could be elected. The group immediately sent letters to the governor for help. Surprisingly, Keysville residents were split over the issue. While some fought for reactivation, others defended the status quo. The legal struggles that ensued brought in TV vehicles with satellites and national news reporters, including Time and Newsweek. “My [late] father was always at her side and I served as an unofficial advisor. It was not just about getting to be mayor, it was about bringing in services … building some structure,” Quinten Jr. says. Of her husband’s support, Gresham says, “He was my motivator. He used to tell people that he was driving Miss Daisy.” Both Quinten Sr. and Jr. worked together to involve Atlanta-based State Rep. Tyrone Brooks. “I could relate to that region of the state since I was born not far from Keysville, and I had the chance to attend Boggs Academy,” Brooks says. He helped find legal representation to ensure that another election could take place. “I was highly impressed with her dedication to reviving her town and to finding the resources to bring critical services to its citizens,” Brooks says. Her dedication was tested when, in 1986, just one year after her original election as mayor, Gresham underwent a mastectomy. Yet Quinten Jr. recalls how through it all his mother persevered.
“[The re-election] was a real struggle. We had to go through two Supreme Court decisions. And my mother reached out to the whole community—black and white. There were times when things got a little tense,” Quinten Jr. says. In 1988, Gresham was officially elected mayor. This time the title would stick, as it has ever since. Next year, however, Gresham reports that she intends to retire, shortly after her 80th birthday. Guiding Keysville Today, many improvements are apparent. “First we had to prove that the water we were drinking was contaminated. Then we got a grant to put in the first water system [in 1997],” Gresham recounts. Gresham also helped cinch the state-ordained title of Certified Literate Community for Keysville. (See sidebar below.) In addition, through anonymous donations, the city received $25,000. “First we got property, then we put in a playground,” Gresham says. Other improvements and services include a waste-water treatment plant, city streetlights and a health facility. So what does Gresham see on Keysville’s horizon? Continual activity toward the benefit of its citizens. “Every second Saturday in October we have a ‘Come Home to Keysville’ day,” Gresham says. “We have a parade. We bring in political people and let them know that education is what we’re running for … and bringing up a better quality of life for our people.” Carol Badaracco Padgett is a freelance writer who lives in Marietta.
Keysville: A Certified Literate Community Following the 1990 Census the state of Georgia got a rude awakening. Nationally, one in five people read below the fifth-grade level, but for Georgia that number was one in four. This startling statistic was enough to get the state Department of Technical and Adult Education (DTAE) to help Georgia improve its literacy rates. So Kenneth Breeden, then DTAE commissioner, spearheaded the Certified Literate Community Program (CLCP). The CLCP provides a blueprint for communities to use in setting up effective literacy programs, according to Billie Izard, CLCP’s executive director. The certification process requires communities to target a percentage of their population that lacks a high school diploma or GED and to reach that population over a 10-year period. During the process, communities must also sustain adequate funding to keep their literacy programs running. Mayor Emma Gresham of Keysville was immediately devoted to the literacy effort in her area, and a committee dubbed “Visions of Literacy” was born. Gresham reports that through the committee’s efforts, Keysville received the coveted title of Certified Literate Community on Sept. 5, 2002, a proud day for the town. “Good education brings about a better community,” says Gresham. To date, there are nine Certified Literate Communities in Georgia, and 44 counties are working toward certification. More CLCP information can be found on the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education’s Web site at www.dtae.org or by calling (404) 679-1600.
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