Uncrowned Community Builders

A native Buffalonian, Ora Louise Anderson was a fourth generation member of a family that has lived in Buffalo since 1832. She was a graduate of Hutchinson Central High School and earned both a bachelor and master's degree from the University at Buffalo.

Mrs. Curry was a woman of many talents including educator, historian, archivist and poet. She achieved many "firsts" in a long, distinguished career. She began her teaching career in 1958 as a history teacher in the Buffalo School District. She was the first African American teacher at Bennett High School and founded and served as the faculty advisor for the Interracial Researchers, an extracurricular student group. The group gained renown locally and nationally for its creative programs on the myths of prejudice. In 1969, the group performed its choreopoem Heartbeat in the general assembly at the annual conference of the National Education Association and received a standing ovation.

The following year, Mrs. Curry took a leave from the school district to become a master demonstration teacher in the State Education Department's Bureau of Social Studies. At the same time, she taught courses on African American history for the University at Buffalo's Millard Fillmore College. In 1971 Mrs. Curry became an administrative associate with the State Education Department. In this position she was responsible for the over-sight of state and federally funded programs in the Division of Education. Mrs. Curry retired in 1984.

Mrs. Curry was an active member of the community, who participated in numerous community organizations and activities. She was a life member of the NAACP, gave lectures and received numerous honors. She was knowledgeable of the pre-Civil War history of African Americans in Western New York, particularly as it related to her family. She also served as a consultant to the Buffalo Quarters Historical Society.

Mrs. Curry and her husband John were the parents of three daughters. She is the daughter of Uncrowned Queen Ora L. Anderson and the niece of Uncrowned Queen Amelia Anderson. Mrs. Curry died on February 5, 2002 at age 81. Her children described her as "a friend of Buffalo; her family an icon of Buffalo history, and a tremendous source of local history."