3.3 3.4 the administration of lou b. williams, 1895-1906.  (Page 2/5)

In 1897 the BGCT took a firm stand by denying Hayden a seat in the convention and employing a missions secretary, J. B. Gambrell, who could ride out the storm. The latter was accompanied by his equally-talented wife, Mary. Lou Williams expressed her relief and thanksgiving simply: "The objecting brethren thought the women should give up the work, but the Lord sent Dr. and Mrs. J. B. Gambrell to Texas and through them the cause had a backing for the men and the women. That saved the cause." Quoted in ibid., p. 138. The BWMW elected Mary Gambrell to fill the corresponding secretary's position, neglected since Mina Everett's departure, and the state Foreign Mission Board reappropriated $200 for "woman's work." Although the minutes are silent on the matter, J. B. Cranfill inserted a brief editorial comment in the Baptist Standard following that 1897 convention in which he indicated that "the Baptist women of Texas have had troubles and estrangements as well as the men," but that they had come to a warm reconciliation. BS, November 18, 1897, p. 5. The minutes do reveal that Fannie Davis was present, seconded two motions, and made an address of welcome. Quoted in ibid., p. 9.

Mary C. Gambrell was born of fine Virginia stock and married James Bruton Gambrell, a Confederate scout from Mississippi, during the Civil War. J. B. Gambrell, "Recollections of Confederate Scout Service," unpublished MS, Historical Commission of the SBC, Nashville, Tenn. (Microfilm publication 282). Gambrell took part in Pickett's charge at Gettysburg, after which he stole through Federal lines to wed Mary Corbell, a cousin of Pickett's wife. Afterward, they returned to Mississippi where she taught music and he served as a pastor, editor, and denominational leader for twenty-five years. They also reared a family, including

a son who was killed as a young man in a temperance-related struggle. Texas Baptist and Herald (Dallas), May 13, 1887, n.p. In 1893 Dr. Gambrell was named president of Mercer College in Georgia. Both of the Gambrells embodied the extremely attractive but rare posture of the liberal-minded Southerner: they embraced change with intelligence and common sense, yet without sacrificing tradition, manners, and good humor.

Texas was the Gambrells' last challenge. They saw its Baptist potential and gave their final years to building and securing its cooperative institutions. In addition to her BWMW work, Mary Gambrell was paid to assist her husband in the office with his job as corresponding secretary for missions. The two individuals and agencies working in tandem created a felicitous arrangement for the women, whose support had been discontinued by the same source two years earlier. Dr. Gambrell was clearly a champion of their cause, praising them often as the most diligent and dependable arm of mission work.

Every description of Mrs. Gambrell mentions her intelligence, then quickly her devotion, culture, and enterprise. Her name called forth the BWMW recording secretary's flowery best: