Black and white photo of a woman and three young girls outside in a park or yard, smiling and playing together. The woman is holding a small girl in a white dress, while the others are watching. 
The Eudora Welty Foundation

OUR HISTORY

The Eudora Welty Foundation was established to honor and extend the legacy of one of America’s most beloved writers. Rooted in Jackson, Mississippi, where Welty lived and wrote for most of her life, the Foundation works in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to preserve her home, garden, and papers.

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From the beginning, the Foundation has balanced stewardship with imagination. While safeguarding the house and its collections, we have also launched programs, lectures, and publications that place Welty’s voice in conversation with today’s readers and writers. What began as an effort to protect one home has grown into a vibrant organization that champions storytelling, nurtures creativity, and connects people across generations.

Logo for the Eudora Welty Foundation featuring stylized colorful books and a handwritten-style logo.

OUR HISTORY

The Foundation is guided by a dedicated board of directors who share a love for literature and a commitment to Eudora’s legacy. They bring together expertise in education, writing, preservation, the arts, and community leadership. With their stewardship, the Foundation continues to grow in reach and impact, while staying rooted in the values Eudora cherished.

  • Holmes Adams

    President

  • John Hooks

    Vice President

  • Mary Alice Welty White

    Secretary

  • Donna Bruce

    Treasurer

  • Mary YergerDunbar

  • Dolly Goings

  • Susan Haltom

  • Holly Lange

  • Jamie Lee

  • Suzanne Marrs

  • Jean Medley

  • Bob Morrison III

  • Justin Peterson

  • Elizabeth Quinn

  • Micajah Sturdivant

  • Carla Wall

OUR PARTNERS, DONORS & SPONSORS

The work of the Foundation is made possible through collaboration. Chief among our partners is the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, which provides stewardship of the Welty House and Garden and ensures the highest standards of preservation.

We are also grateful for support from local, regional, and national partners — universities, cultural organizations, donors, and community leaders — who share our vision of keeping Welty’s work alive and accessible. Together, we expand opportunities for scholarship, creativity, and connection.

  • Evelyn and Michael Jefcoat, Garden Endowment

  • Martha Dowd Dalrymple, Welty Lecture Endowment

  • Welty Family

  • McMullan/O’Connor Fund, McMullan Young Writers Conference at Millsaps

  • CSpire Foundation, Scholastic Writing Awards

  • Mary and Wirt Yerger New Stage plays

  • Famous redwood tree with an observation platform among the branches in a lush forest.

  • Logo for Two Mississippi Museums, including the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, with stylized architectural elements.

  • Logo for the Mississippi Book Festival with orange background and white text.

  • Logo of McMullan Workshops at Millsaps College featuring stylized text and graphic elements in dark blue and white.

  • The logo of the Mill'saps College featuring the college name in large, blue, serif font with a horizontal line separating the top and bottom sections.

  • Logo of the Mississippi Museum of Art featuring stylized vertical lines representing trees, with the text 'Mississippi Museum of Art' in orange.

  • Text saying 'NEWSSTAGE Thanks' in bold white and teal font on a dark background.

friends of the foundation

ABSENT FRIENDS:

  • Roger Mudd

  • Jim Lehrer

  • Tim Seldes

  • Julia Reed

  • Mary Ann Mobley

  • Gary Collins