Services are being planned for a distinguished educator and former Greenville City Council member, who was known for a long list of accomplishments in the community.
Dr. Myrna Gilstrap, 79, of Greenville died Thursday. Services are pending with Cozine & Tarver Funeral Home.
Gilstrap was professor at East Texas State University and Texas A&M University-Commerce, was a board member of the Hope Center of Greenville and the Greenville Branch of the American Association of University Women, served as a director of the Hunt County Head Start Program and was the director of the former West Hill Neighborhood Improvement Association.
Gilstrap served on the Greenville City Council for 12 years and as Mayor Pro Tem for four years. Gilstrap was the first black woman to run for and hold an elected public office in Hunt County.
She ran as a candidate for mayor in 1988 and missed the runoff election by 13 votes. Gilstrap was also a candidate for District Clerk of Hunt County in November 2004.
Gilstrap was also the recipient of the Martin Luther King Life Time Achievement Award from the Hunt County African American Leadership Conference during the 2013 The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Celebration.