Elizabeth Lay (1897 - 1989)

Elizabeth Lay attended UNC from 1917-1920 — a time when less than 20 women were students at the University. She received both an undergraduate and a master’s degree from UNC, and was considered a gifted playwright by Frederick “Proff” Koch, a dramatic literature professor who founded the Carolina Playmakers. She was the author of the first play — When Witches Ride — performed by the theater troupe. Aside from playwriting, Elizabeth was also a writer for The Daily Tar Heel. Elizabeth later married Paul Green, who was an up-and-coming playwright. As Elizabeth settled into her expected duties as a wife, she took more of a clerical role as her husband’s fame rose. Although she contributed to Paul’s success as a writer, many of her accomplishments, including the poetry that she wrote for her husband’s plays, were historically erased.