“The best lived life is to have spent it doing God’s will through your thoughts, words, deeds and modeling of positive examples that can live on.”
These words guided Gertrude Payton (née Price) throughout her long and productive life. She died peacefully in her sleep on Feb. 16, 2022, her 95th birthday.
Gertrude’s active involvement with the Greater Milwaukee Foundation began in 2002, when she and her husband, Mack, and children, Shelia and Renato, established the Payton-Price Family Fund. Its purpose was to offer financial assistance to students of Black African ancestry who attend historically Black colleges and universities.
“Looking out for others is in our family’s DNA,” said Shelia.
Her parents had already set up a scholarship at their alma mater, Alcorn State University in Lorman, Miss., so they were not unaccustomed to the idea of giving. Gertrude did not just give her “treasure” to causes she cared about. She also gave her time and talent. She participated regularly in donor focus groups as part of the Foundation’s strategic planning.
Gertrude was among the first Black educators Milwaukee Public Schools hired to teach above elementary school. Between 1953 and 1999, she taught home economics, served as Title 1 Coordinator, guidance counselor and guidance director. As guidance director at West Division High School, she helped transition it into the Milwaukee High School of the Arts. She also served on curriculum projects at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she had earned a master’s in educational psychology.
“Mrs. Payton always put her students first,” said Mary Henry, Gertrude’s colleague at MPS. “She would patiently move around the home ec lab, helping students who were having trouble putting in a zipper or sewing on a button.”
Henry said Gertrude worked with students other guidance counselors had said “weren’t college material.” She would coach them through their application process and securing financial aid.
“Many of them graduated from college and have become highly successful,” Henry said.
The Paytons’ fund is also structured to respond to emerging issues in the African American community. Among its areas of focus are economic self-sufficiency, health, programs that improve educational outcomes for students of Black African ancestry and efforts that showcase arts and culture and other contributions made by people of Black African ancestry.
Payton was an active member of St. Mark AME Church, serving in such positions as a vacation bible school director and a member of the Christian Social Action Forum, which hosted meetings where issues impacting the community and possible solutions were discussed.
Her philanthropy inspired other members — all donors of color — to establish five Foundation funds as well.
“People at our church looked at the fund mom helped establish and thought, ‘She’s not Oprah and she’s doing it, so maybe I can,’” Shelia said.