Gratts Family Reunion
Great Great GrandMother Mahala Dedman Anderson
Evelyn Thurman Gratts Elementary School
Los Angeles, California
Born 12-24- 1906
Died 02- 23 -1996
Evelyn Marie Thurman was born in Los Angeles California on December 24th, 1906 to Thomas and Minnie Thurman. She married Robert Laverne Gratts of Annetta, Texas on 11-06-1937, and from this union, 5 children were born.
Aunt Evelyn was a tireless volunteer in the Los Angeles Unified School District, which an elementary school was opened in her name. The naming of the school located at 3rd Street and Lucas Avenue in the Echo Park - Westlake neighborhood on Feb 5 th, honored a lifetime of service by Mrs. Gratts to the schoolchildren. She was instrumental in bringing Heard Start to the Los Angeles schools, organized a parents group to ward off gang fights at her Alma Mater, Belmont High School and lobbied for a school swimming program. A native Angeleno who was baptized in Echo Park Lake, Aunt Evelyn raised five children, worked as a masseuse and ran a boarding house. She was also a devoted volunteer in schools in the Echo Park community. She was founder and president of the Western Hills Senior Citizens and served as a senior representative to Los Angeles City Human Relations Commission. In 1993, she earned a special award for outstanding service from the Volunteer Center of Los Angeles.