Gladys Elnora Kemp Lisanby (December 14, 1928 – July 8, 2023)[1] was the president of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.[2]
Lisanby graduated James Madison University in 1949.[2] Lisanby met Rear Admiral James Lisanby of the United States Navy in Norfolk, Virginia while he was serving on his first ship, the and she was a teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth, Virginia.[2] She and James were married shortly thereafter until his death 61 years later. She and James had two daughters, Elizabeth Ann Lisanby and Dr. Sarah Lisanby.[3]
She was recognized by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in 2004 with the National Advisory Board Award for Outstanding Service to the Arts.[2]
In 2005 she was awarded the Mississippi Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts in recognition of her work with the organization.[2]
The James and Gladys Kemp Lisanby Museum at James Madison University is named in honor of Admiral Lisanby and Gladys Kemp Lisanby.[4]