Thank You, Mrs. Gladney

“Mommy, tell me about the day I was born.”
“It was a gray, rainy morning. Daddy had just gone to work, and I was sitting at the table in the kitchen when the phone rang. It was Gladney, and they had a baby girl waiting for us.”

How many people have heard like this? More than you think.

For nearly 140 years, the good people of the Gladney Center for Adoption have been helping to build families by honoring the legacy of one woman who almost single-handedly changed adoptions in the United States.

Edna Jones came to Fort Worth in 1904 to live with her aunt and uncle. She was not planning on staying in Texas long, but fortunately for so many children, she did. In 1906, an engaged Edna met Sam Gladney, and they eloped two days before Edna was supposed to marry her (now former) fiancé.

Photo courtesy of Gladney Center for Adoption

The Gladneys lived in Wolfe City for a couple of years before settling in Sherman. Sam bought a flour mill, and Edna went to work inspecting local markets and public facilities for cleanliness. During one inspection in rural Grayson County, Edna came across the Grayson County Poor Farm, a dumping ground for the unwanted: people with mental illnesses and disabilities, the physically disabled, the homeless, and unwanted children.

Horrified by the conditions at the Grayson County Poor Farm, Edna helped to remove the children to the Texas Children’s Home and Aid Society in Fort Worth, on whose board Edna served. She also established a free daycare for the children of women working as part of the war effort. It was one of the first daycares in Texas, and the City of Sherman continued to run it until 2008.

When Edna and Sam returned to Fort Worth in 1921, Edna continued to work with the Texas Children’s Home and Aid Society. She was named superintendent of the Texas Children’s Home and Aid Society, a position that she held until 1959. She was a tireless advocate for children and unwed mothers. Through her efforts, Texas led the way in adoption legislation.

Photo courtesy of Gladney Center for Adoption

In 1936, Texas removed the word “illegitimate” from adopted children’s birth certificates. In 1939, Texas passed a law that sealed an adopted child’s original birth certificate and issued a second birth certificate with the child’s name and the names of the adoptive parents. In 1951, adopted children were granted the same inheritance rights as biological children. None of this would have happened without Edna’s lobbying and advocacy.

The Texas Children’s Home and Aid Society bought the West Texas Maternity Hospital in 1950. Now known as the Edna Gladney Home, in recognition of Edna’s tenacity and love, the organization was able to provide pre- and post-natal care for birth mothers and their infants. Edna died in 1961, having changed the lives of countless families.

Photo courtesy of Gladney Center for Adoption

Fast forward half a century, and the Gladney Center for Adoption (the name was changed in 1991) continues to create families through domestic adoptions, international adoptions, and foster adoptions and continues to lead the way in memory of Edna Gladney.

Gladney is licensed in 12 states and 11 countries, and since 2000, has helped the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services place children waiting in the foster care system with loving, forever families.

“We’re in a big growth stage right now,” said Holly Yarborough, Gladney’s Marketing & Communications Manager. “This is such a special place, but so many people here are unaware of how many people Gladney has impacted over the years.”

Photo courtesy of Gladney Center for Adoption

Holly was excited to tell me about their new program for international adoptees. “Kids from domestic adoptions usually know about their birth family, but until now, it’s been hard for kids who were adopted from another country to find out anything about their birth families.”

To change this disparity, Gladney has created the Heritage Experience. Licensed counselors will accompany adopted children and their families to their country of birth. “Adopted children usually get really curious about their roots,” Holly said. “We’re the only adoption agency sending a licensed counselor along on these trips to support our families emotionally. This really is a labor of love, like everything we do here.”

In 2027, the Gladney Center for Adoption will celebrate 140 years of creating loving families. To celebrate, “Project 140” will share 140 stories to celebrate and honor everything that Gladney has accomplished. Adoption has come a long way since Edna Gladney began her life’s work, and Gladney continues to lead the way, ensuring that more children find their families.

Oh, that memory at the beginning? It’s my story.

The first photo ever taken of the author, taken on the way home from Gladney
Photo credit: Robert N. Virden (author’s dad)