Cora Voy Ward Collection

About the Collection

Born in Newton, Kansas, in 1893, Cora Voy Ward was the middle surviving daughter of George and Mary Ward. She had two sisters—Ruby and Zenith—and two siblings who died young. Early on, her father affectionately nicknamed her “Jim,” a name she embraced for the rest of her life.

Before 1900, the Ward family relocated to Norman in Oklahoma Territory and later settled in Oklahoma City. Family history suggests a period of upheaval when Mary discovered George had fathered a child with another woman. The resulting separation divided the family: Ruby sided with their father, Zenith with their mother, and Cora remained close to both.

Cora was a bright and inquisitive student. She enrolled at Kansas State Normal School in Emporia in 1911 and later taught in nearby Kansas towns while continuing her studies. She earned her B.S. in 1917. A deep thinker and avid reader, Cora became a follower of Christian Science and an early advocate of women’s sports, particularly tennis.

During World War I, inspired by patriotic fervor, Cora joined the YMCA’s “doughnut girls” initiative—an effort to support American troops with morale-boosting recreation. Though the Armistice was signed just before she shipped out, Cora spent more than a year in France, stationed in Cannes, entertaining troops and exploring the region.

Returning to Oklahoma, Cora taught in Jenks before joining Central High School in Oklahoma City, where she taught English for
nearly 40 years. Known for her adventurous spirit, she traveled to Europe in 1927 with a prominent Oklahoma City family, applying her wartime experience and fluency in French and German. A party invitation during the 1920s sparked her interest in aviation, and she became one of Oklahoma’s earliest licensed female pilots. During World War II, she taught basic aircraft maintenance to student pilots.

Though she had no children of her own, Cora was deeply involved in the lives of her nieces and nephews. She adopted her nephew Jack Rees to help him qualify for in-state tuition at the University of Oklahoma. She married twice—first to L.D. Aldrich in 1948, who died a few years later, and then briefly to Val Luscomb in the mid-1960s.

Cora Voy Ward passed away in 1975, leaving behind a legacy of independence, education, and quiet service.

Provenance

The materials were given to the UCO Special Collections & University Archives August 13, 2012 by Ken Rees.