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Meet Inasmuch Foundation’s Founder

Edith Kinney Gaylord

Inasmuch Foundation was established in 1982 by Edith Kinney Gaylord for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes.

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The Quiet Philanthropist

Referred to as Oklahoma’s quiet philanthropist, Edith Kinney Gaylord often made anonymous donations to help those in need. After a lifetime of giving, she formally created charitable foundations to ensure her support could do the most good, for the most people. Today, Inasmuch Foundation carries her work forward through thoughtful, community-focused giving, honoring Edith’s legacy of compassion and service long after her passing in 2001.

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Edith Kinney Gaylord was born on March 5, 1916, in Oklahoma City to parents Inez and E. K. Gaylord.


Her father was editor and publisher of The Oklahoman and The Oklahoma City Times. Edith attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs before graduating from Wells College in Aurora, New York, in spring of 1937 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Edith had begun her journalistic career reporting for her father’s newspaper and radio station in Oklahoma City. In the summer of 1942, she was hired by the Associated Press in New York and was transferred five months later to their Washington, D.C., bureau. She was the first female employee on the general news staff.

Edith filed stories from New York, Hollywood, San Francisco and Chicago while following Madame Chiang Kai-shek on her tour of America. When first lady Eleanor Roosevelt insisted the AP send a female reporter to cover her news conferences, Edith was assigned to the task.

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In 1944, Edith was elected president of the National Women’s Press Club, and served as secretary of Mrs. Roosevelt’s press conference committee and as media liaison between her and the press. Edith also covered other notable events, including the death of Franklin Roosevelt, the new first lady Bess Truman and the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in London.

Edith returned to Oklahoma City and rejoined the family business in 1963, serving as a member of the board of directors and as corporate secretary for The Oklahoma Publishing Company.

After careful consideration by Edith Kinney Gaylord, the word “Inasmuch” was selected as a reflection of what she wanted the Foundation to embody — an institution created to aid in the betterment of our communities. The name was taken from the Gospel of Saint Matthew from the King James Version of the Bible, where Jesus expresses,

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Matthew 25:40