Maggie Culver Fry (1900–1998) was the tenth poet laureate of Oklahoma, appointed in 1977 by Governor David L. Boren.[1] Fry wrote her first poem at the age of 10 and now has more than 800 stories, poems, and articles published.[2]
Fry, née Culver, was born in 1900 at Vian, Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Fry's maternal grandfather, George Deerskin Waters, traveled to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears and was a member of the Cherokee Senate.[3] Fry lacked a high school education but nevertheless published three books of poetry, along with fiction and magazine articles.[4] She also an instructor at Claremore Junior College and traveled the state conducting workshop in high schools and colleges.[2]
From 1955 to 1965, Fry served as personal secretary to Senator Clem McSpadden. Her book, The Umbilical Cord, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.[5] In 1995 Fry was named poet laureate emeritus when her health forced her to stop writing and in 2015 she was inducted into the Claremore Hall of Fame.[2]
Fry died in 1998 and is buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Claremore.[2]