Sarah McGehee Isom
Prof. Sarah Isom
Sarah McGehee Isom was born in 1850 in Oxford, Mississippi. She was the daughter of a prominent Oxford physician, Thomas Dudley Isom and his wife, Sarah McGehee. Local folklore describes the Isom couple as pioneers to the frontier of Oxford. The Isom Family lived at 1003 Jefferson Avenue and their home still stands adjacent to the town square.
When Sarah “Sallie” Isom was born in the early 1850’s, education for women was still not widely accepted or available in Mississippi so Isom’s parents sent her to the Augusta Seminary in Virginia where she studied theater and public speaking. She then went on to train under some of the most prominent elocutionists of the era in larger cities like Boston and Philadelphia. Isom was highly educated, well trained, and could have pursued a career in the theater and lived a life of fame on the stage. Instead, she chose to return to her hometown where she had a twenty-year career as the first female faculty member at the University of Mississippi.
Isom was appointed to her post in 1885, after considerable debate amongst administrators and the board of trustees. She worked as the only instructor of elocution at the university until she died in 1905. Allen Cabiness, one of the early historians of the University wrote about Isom in his 1949 A History of the University of Mississippi with condescension. His disdain for her contributions and role at the university seem to stem from his reading of her course descriptions which he described as “pretentious.” Though written a half century after her career, the attitude toward women at the University of Mississippi still seemed to be stagnant.
Sarah Isom spent her life teaching students how to express themselves with poise and grace. She trained future politicians and leaders and often encouraged students to pursue public speaking endeavors to improve their form and delivery. Her own fiery personality and flare for drama contributed to her skill as an instructor for budding public speakers. The students’ respect for her is evidenced by the dedication of the 1905 yearbook in her honor.
