Biography/History:

Sara Emma McAlister, daughter of W. A. and Emma Smith McAlister, was born in Tippah County, Mississippi, on September 24, 1912. She was a music teacher in the Tchula public schools of Holmes County, Mississippi, from around 1935 to at least 1945. McAlister later moved to Ripley, Tippah County, where she taught piano until 1982. She was also a member of the Ripley United Methodist Church. McAlister died on April 30, 1985, and was interred at Pinecrest Cemetery in Tchula.

Scope and Content:

The papers of Sara Emma McAlister document her musical interests and teaching career in Tchula, Holmes County, Mississippi. They include programs from various musical recitals and performances or high-school-commencement exercises. The majority of the programs are from musical events held in the Tchula public schools or the local Methodist and Presbyterian churches. Some of the school programs are handwritten, possibly by McAlister or her students. There are also two programs with handwritten annotations. The first, a 1935 student-recital program from the Tchula public schools, contains a request for McAlister to perform a solo. The second, a 1941 senior piano-recital program of Edith McDaniel, possibly a former student of McAlister, contains a request for an unnamed person to attend the recital. Of additional interest is a program from a 1924 pageant entitled “The Pied Piper,” which was presented by the Greenwood (Leflore County) public schools. There is also a 1937 program from the Mississippi High School Band Contest held in Jackson, Hinds County, in which Tchula students competed. The programs are arranged chronologically.

Series Identification:

1. Programs. 1924-1945; n.d. 9 folders.

   Box 1, folders 1-6
   Box 2, folders 1-3