HISTORY
Helen Haynes, was born in Petal, Mississippi on November 23, 1933. She was one of fifteen children born to Joseph and Edna Haynes. Helen attended HS in Petal, and 1 year at Spelman in Atlanta, GA. As a young adult, she moved to Cleveland, OH along with a few of her siblings and worked for World Publishing Company. Much of Helen’s career was in nursing at Huron Road Hospital in East Cleveland, OH until the hospital closed its doors. She was a strong, resourceful and single mother of three children, seven grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. Though she was not able to fully realize all of her educational aspirations, Helen was a strong proponent of education and stressed it’s importance to her family . She was an active member of her church and community. Helen passed in Cleveland, Ohio in January 2003.
Shirley Edwards was born in St. Louis Missouri in 1938. She was the 8th of 11 children born to Edgar and Willette Holloway. Shirley attended St Louis Public Schools, graduating from Charles Sumner High School in January 1956. She attended Harris Teachers college for a short time before having to withdraw due to funding. She worked at the USPS until the early 70’s and spent over 20 years working/volunteering for Ascension School in Northwoods, MO. She was also elected twice as an Alderwoman in the City of Northwoods. Throughout her life, Shirley received numerous commendations for her role in community affairs. She died of breast cancer in 1999 during her second term as Northwoods' Ward 1 Alderwoman.
William Edwards was born in 1925 in St. Louis, MO. He was the 2nd of 5 children born to Frank and Agnes (Dalton) Edwards. He attended St. Louis Public Schools. He left Vashon High School to work (later earning his GED), and later was a pitcher in the Negro Leagues (his father Frank was a catcher for serveral teams in the Negro Leagues). He worked at the USPS, Wonder Bread, Falstaff, and ultimately retired from Anheuser-Busch in 1993. He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren, enjoyed jazz, and was a talented carpenter. He died in 2017 at 92 years old.
All were active in their communities and left a legacy of service and leadership.
Each of them believed in education being the key to a great future. They sacrificed and worked hard for their children to attend private schools, and gave their children the opportunity to attend enrichment activities and ultimately college. It is the goal of the Helen Haynes / William and Shirley Edwards Family Foundation to continue their legacy.