In 2007 Women in Focus, Inc. awarded the first Miss Annie Mae McClain Scholarship, funded with the proceeds of an auction of 77 wonderful hats owned by Miss Annie Mae McClain during her lifetime. The hats were generously donated to WIF by Miss Annie Mae’s son Joe McClain and his wife, WIF member Carol Lobes. Both Joe and Carol felt that Miss Annie Mae would want her beloved hats to contribute to the higher education of young people of color.
Prior to the auction, the Wisconsin Academy of
Sciences, Arts and Letters worked with the Overture Gallery staff to
beautifully display the 77 hats at the Overture Center and show the
fascinating history of church hats. The exhibit appeared first in Madison
and then traveled to Milwaukee in 2006. Two hats were donated by WIF to the
Wisconsin State Historical Society; one hat was purchased at the WIF auction
by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Two additional hats were purchased by
the Milwaukee Historical Society at the auction. The front page Academy of
Sciences, Arts and Letters magazine article and museum post card about Miss
Annie Mae’s hats will be included in the Time Capsule marking Madison’s
150th anniversary.
