Edna Paralee Spencer was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She spent her early childhood on her great grandfather's farm in Oakridge, Tennessee. Edna's family migrated to Worcester, Massachusettts during the late 1930s and early '40s. She married Cornelius Boyed Spencer and they had one daughter, Olivia Rochelle Spencer, who died on August 4, 2006. Edna earned degrees from Quinsigamond Community College and Clark University, both in Worcester. She holds a master's degree in Liberal Arts from Clark University. Edna is the first black woman to serve as chairman of the Trustee Board of Quinsigamond Community College, and the first black woman to serve as president of the YWCA of Central Massachusetts. She has served on the Trustee Board of the United Way and several other city and agency committes. She is the recipient of the The National Conference of Christians and Jews Bortherhood Award, The Martin Luther King Jr. Good Citizen Award, The YWCA of Central Massachusetts Katherine E. Erskine Award and The Clark University Outstanding Alumni Award. Edna was also given a key to the City of Worcester.
