She lived near Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi during her later years and those around Jackson knew Eudora Welty to be "real people" even though her fame was legendary. Eudora Welty had gained the notoriety that no one could've ever imagined given her very humble beginnings.

Welty was a born in Jackson and she went to the Mississippi State College for Women before going on to the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She later attended Columbia University's Business School before working in the 1930s as a photographer for Works Progress Administration.

While she was working in the 30s as a photographer, Welty was able to capture some of the most profound pictures of people from various economic classes in Mississippi. However, literature was her calling and photography would later be placed to the wayside so she could follow her truer destiny.

In 1936, Welty's first short story Death of a Traveling Salesman led her to a path made for success. Her talent evident, Katherine Anne Porter wrote the forward for the first short story collection written by Eudora Welty.

The Optimist's Daughter was the Eudora Welty novel that would leave Welty with a 1973 Pulitzer Prize and notoriety few authors ever achieve. She was later awarded the REA Award for the Short Story which was adorned on her for her lifetime contributions to the short story.

Eudora Welty was a charter member of the 1987 humble beginnings of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. She died in Jackson in 1992 after suffering a battle with pneumonia.