Luella (Wilcox) St. Clair was born in Virden, Illinois, where she was the only girl to finish in the first public high school graduating class. She was named a valedictorian of her class, and went on to attend Hamilton College in Kentucky where she graduated after one year with a teaching certificate. She then met a mathematics instructor, Frank St. Clair, whom she married. The two led a career in several locations, but the one constant in their lives was a commitment to education.
