Sarah Rector
1902–1967 (age 65)
Oil industry beneficiary
Biography
Sarah Rector, born in 1902, was a Chickasaw Freedman whose lands in Oklahoma produced a rich oil fortune, making her one of the wealthiest African American women of her era and attracting national attention to her success.
She devoted part of that blessing to supporting educational opportunities for others and went on to live a life of quiet determination, inspiring future generations to see how tenacity and grace can overcome early challenges.