Active alumna dies at 104

Alumna Caroline Gray Trabue died Jan. 16 in Nashville at the age of 104.

Trabue enrolled at UNA (then known as Florence State Teachers College) at the age of 16 as a result of skipping two grades in grammar school for her excellent academic scores, according to her published obituary in The Tennessean.

After graduating in 1934, she went to work in in New York City before moving to Chattanooga, TN, to work for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

She later married Laurence Trabue, who entered military service during World War II. Following the war, they moved to Nashville to raise a family.

During her life in Nashville, Trabue held positions in various organizations, including serving as president of the Nashville Chapter of the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities, board member of St. Luke’s Community House and chairman of the American Cancer Society’s annual fundraiser, becoming the first woman in the city to chair a city-wide charity drive.

“She was the epitome of a Steel Magnolia, always exhibiting her Southern grace and charm, but inwardly possessing the resiliency to face and endure life’s many adversities that were presented to her,” the obituary said.

Trabue left behind a sister, four children, four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, a nephew and three nieces.

St. George’s Episcopal Church in Nashville will host a funeral service Jan. 19 at 1:30 p.m, according to the obituary. Trabue’s burial will take place at Mount Olivet Cemetery.