Marilyn Y. Gore, The Quilter

Marilyn Y. Gore has held a lifelong love for sewing and quilting. A proud graduate of three Historically Black Colleges and Universities — Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina; Howard University in Washington, DC; and the University of the District of Columbia — Marilyn’s Master’s thesis focused on a historical study of North Carolina quilt making.

Marilyn retired from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension on February 28, 2007, following a rewarding 31-year Extension career — nineteen years with the University of the District of Columbia and twelve years in North Carolina. As an Area Specialized Extension Agent, she provided residents of Mecklenburg and Gaston Counties with research-based education in parenting, child development, and financial management.

Committed to professional service, Marilyn became an active member of both the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) and the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS). Her dedication to leadership resulted in her election as President of NEAFCS in 2004. With a history spanning more than a century, NEAFCS elected Marilyn as only its fourth African American president.

Marilyn has provided leadership and service in numerous civic, social, and community organizations, including the National Pinochle Association and the Queen City Players Pinochle Club. She has been an active member of the Charlotte Quilters Guild for over 25 years, serving as newsletter editor and as Guild President in 2014. She also devoted 25 years to Off the Streets Program, Inc. in Gaston County, serving as Board President and grant writer.

An accomplished quilter, Marilyn works in traditional, paper piecing, and crazy quilting techniques, specializing in hand-quilted pieces. She has completed more than 150 quilts. She is a member of the Charlotte Quilters Guild and the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Quilting Ministry.

Among her notable works is the Black Madonna Wall Hanging, created in collaboration with her daughter, Charlene P. Mills. The piece is a quilted adaptation of the stained-glass Black Madonna window in the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Chapel at Bennett College for Women. The original image was designed by the late Eva Hamlin Miller. The wall hanging was presented to Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole at Marilyn’s 30th class reunion and is now housed in the Bennett College administrative offices. Another African American scrap quilted wall hanging by Marilyn is displayed at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church administrative offices.

Recently, Marilyn appeared in the NAACP Cinematic Shorts Competition Film for the 2025 National Convention held in Charlotte. The film is entitled Bleached, was the award winner and was directed by Ralph Parker, III and Kerri Garrett. The award-winning film can be viewed at Bleached Final on Vimeo. Two of her quilts are currently on display at the Delta Arts Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Marilyn is presently researching and documenting the rich quilting heritage of Brunswick County, North Carolina. She welcomes information from quilters and families who wish to be included in this historical record..