(1914 – 1992)
Alva Eddith Thompson was born on March 18, 1914, in Peterman, Alabama, a small community in Monroe County. She attended the elementary and high schools in Monroe County and graduated from Monroe County High School in 1932. She attended Alabama College (now the University of Montevallo) for a year, studying secretarial science.
Mrs. McVay spent thirty years working for the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service as a secretary in the county office. From November 1, 1944, to November 30, 1954, she was the secretary in the Monroe County office in Monroeville, Alabama. From February 4, 1957, to May 31, 1976, she was the secretary in the Clarke County office in Grove Hill, Alabama.
Alva McVay liked people. It was obvious to anyone who met her, and that is why she was a successful member of the county teams in Monroe and Clarke Counties. Mrs. McVay is remembered for her outgoing personality. Being the secretary for farm agents and home agents, she had to meet the public often. She was excellent at this and, as coworkers remember, she “never met a stranger.” This is an attribute highly necessary in a public office such as the County Extension Office, and Mrs. McVay met the public well.
Alva’s love of people was a great asset in her life. She had many friends and was much loved by her four sisters, her nieces, and her nephews.
After her husband Woodrow’s death, Alva moved to Gulf Shores, Alabama. She used her greatest asset as a strength and volunteered her services as a “pink lady” at the local hospital. She was also active in the Baptist Church. But, as friends remember, you could occasionally find her enjoying her favorite pastime of fishing.
Mrs. McVay died on November 9, 1992. Her family and her many friends will miss her.
We honor her contributions to the Monroe and Clarke County Extension offices by inscribing her name on the dedicatory plaque of the Extension Memorial Chapel.
Chapel Plaque Inscription Number: 339
