LITTLE ROCK, Ark- The loss of Little Rock Nine member Thelma Mothershed-Wair is a major one in the capital city. She was 83 years old, and people in the community remember vividly the start of the Little Rock Nine’s journey to de-segregating Central High School.

Thelma Mothershed Wair, one of the nine Black students who integrated a high school in Arkansas’ capital city of Little Rock in 1957 while a mob of white segregationists yelled threats and insults, has died at age 83.

Many are mourning the loss of an Arkansan who inspired change for the better and changed African-American education across the nation.

Thelma Mothershed Wair, a member of the group of Black students known as the "Little Rock Nine" who integrated a high school in Arkansas' capital city in 1957, has died.