In April 1975, Mrs. Corria Ratliff, of Little Prater, was named Virginia Mother of the Year. A 75-year-old Southwest Virginia widow, she earned her teaching certificate at Radford College and was still substitute teaching at Vansant Elementary at the time she was distinguished with this honor. She lived at Little Prater and mothered six boys and one girl during her lifetime. A marker dedicated to Mrs. Ratliff continues to stand at the mouth of Little Prater on Route 460 in Vansant, placed by the Grundy Woman’s Club. She was elected to the Buchanan County Hall of Fame in 1986.
In April 1968, the Junior Woman’s Club of Grundy was one of 97 Virginia women’s clubs competing for honors in the General Federation of Women’s Clubs / Shell Oil Company Education Program. In its sixth year back then, the education program was known for annually presenting three awards per state to clubs that worked diligently “to further the education of young people in their communities.”
