Gladys Elnora Kemp Lisanby

Lisanby

Gladys Elnora Kemp Lisanby

Mrs. Gladys Elnora Kemp Lisanby, age 94, formerly of Princeton, Kentucky, and Pascagoula, Mississippi, passed away peacefully on July 8, 2023, at her home in Arlington, Virginia.



Gladys was born December 14, 1928, to the late Harry Kemp and Velma Elizabeth Kibler Kemp of Luray, Virginia. She graduated from James Madison University with a bachelor's degree in education, with a focus on physical education and dance. She taught for 17 years in the public school systems of Virginia and California. She met her future husband, the late Rear Admiral James Walker Lisanby (USN Retired) in Norfolk, VA when he was on his first ship, the USS Mississippi. Gladys and James were wed in 1951 and enjoyed a long and happy marriage for 61 years until the day of James' death in 2012.



Mrs. Lisanby was known to be a beloved teacher, mentor, and benefactor all her life, supporting the education of others through scholarships that she and her late husband donated to James Madison University for students in the arts. A museum at James Madison University - The James and Gladys Kemp Lisanby Museum - was named in their honor by the fifth president of JMU, Dr. Lynwood Rose in September of 2013.



Mrs. Lisanby served in countless leadership roles in both civilian and miliary worlds. Living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast since the early 1970's when her husband's Naval career first brought them to Pascagoula, MS, she worked tirelessly on community efforts, including educational and beautification projects. While serving as a member and an officer of Federated Women's Clubs and Federated Garden Clubs, she also found time to serve on the Boards of military spouses' groups. This included organizing the first Enlisted Wives' Club in the area. Mrs. Lisanby established a branch of the Navy Relief Society in Pascagoula to assist military families. For this, she received a Navy Relief Society Presidential Meritorious Award in 1973. She was a Life Member of the Davis Memorial Goodwill Industries (DMGI) Guild and was an active volunteer for DMGI beginning in 1981. She served 13 years on the Board of Trustees in Washington, DC. She and James donated scholarships for adults to receive their high school diplomas and receive vocational training through the EXCEL program of Goodwill Industries of Greater Washington. In 1982 Mrs. Lisanby founded a successful floral design and consulting business, Flowers Wythe Flair. Starting in 1983, she and her husband founded a consulting firm, Naval Services International (NSI), specializing in Defense Industries.



In the mid-1980's, Gladys was invited to participate in the development of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, DC. NMWA is the single most valuable collection of art by women in the world and is the only museum in the world dedicated to women artists in visual and performing arts. She became a member of the Women's Committee, a group of women who lend hands-on support and involvement in Museum events. In 1998, she was challenged by Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, Founder and then Chair of the Board of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, to establish a Mississippi State Committee to further support the mission of the new museum. This mission included bringing long overdue recognition to the work of women artists. Now, the Mississippi State Committee of NMWA is thriving with representation in all parts of Mississippi.



Mrs. Lisanby served as President of the Mississippi State Committee at its inception in 1998, and guided the group through early years of growth and accomplishment. She received the 2004 National Advisory Board Award for Outstanding Service to the Arts from the Museum in November. She was the first State leader to be so honored at the national level. In 2005, she was awarded the Mississippi Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, in recognition of her years of support of visual, performing, and literary arts, and for her lifetime commitment to education and volunteerism. Shortly after this award, on August 29, 2005, James and Gladys, along with countless others on the Gulf Coast, lost their costal home in Hurricane Katrina. Determined to make a positive out of a negative, she rallied members of the Mississippi State Committee to write about their personal losses and experiences with Katrina. The resulting book, "Katrina: Mississippi Women Remember", was published by the University Press of Mississippi in 2007 and proceeds went to support the rebuilding of the Mississippi arts community. In 2007, she received the "Mississippi Treasure Award" from the National Museum of Women in the Arts, in recognition of her contributions and dedication to the arts.



Mrs. Lisanby is survived by two daughters, Dr. Elizabeth Ann Lisanby (Colonel Emilio) Bianchi of Huntsville, Alabama, Dr. Sarah Hollingsworth "Holly" (Dr. Satish Anjilvel) Lisanby of Durham, North Carolina; two grandchildren, Jennifer Kemp Bianchi (Blake) Harvard, Laura Elizabeth Bianchi; four great-grandchildren, Emilio Donovan Eli Harvard, Hattie Elizabeth Harvard, Jane Walker Harvard, Emma Jo Bianchi. She is survived by four nieces, Janet Kemp Tate of Luray, Virginia, Barbara Kemp Underwood of Ormond Beach, Florida, Mary Lou Kemp Worthington of Winchester, Virginia, and Martha Kemp Leake of Luray, Virginia.



In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by husband, Rear Admiral James W. Lisanby (USN, Retired); and two brothers, Joseph Daniel Kemp and Harry Loring Kemp.



Funeral services were held Friday, July 14, 2023 at 4 p.m. at Ogden Memorial United Methodist Church in Princeton, KY.



In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Gladys' memory to the Princeton Art Guild, 115 East Main Street, Princeton, KY 42445, or to the Excel Center of Goodwill Industries of Greater Washington: https://dcgoodwill.org/donations/give-online/.



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