Educator, author, historian and philanthropist, Ora Wills is a lifelong resident of Pensacola, Florida, and has documented her family history and the history of multiple generations of African-American residents, through an extensive body of original work and curated collections of poetry and prose.

Named a master teacher by the state of Florida in 1988, Ora Wills retired in 2003 after a 30-year career teaching English in Escambia County public schools. Following her retirement from the school system, she spent another 12 years as an adjunct instructor in the English Department at the University of West Florida, two years teaching memoir writing at Pensacola State, and a semester in the English Department at Pensacola Catholic High. As a volunteer, Ora has worked with students at Jacqueline Harris Preparatory Academy, and A Top Notch Christian Academy.

Ora is the editor of two volumes of Images in Black: A Pictorial History of Black Pensacola and was the co-creator and co-editor of five volumes of the locally popular collection of stories, poems and personal histories, When Black Folks Was Colored. She has been published locally in the Emerald Coast Review, Pensacola Magazine, The Legend, When Black Folks Was Colored, The Hurricane Review, OutFront Magazine, and the New American Press.

For many years, Ora was also a regular contributor of viewpoints on education and current events to the Pensacola News Journal. In 2019, Ora’s collection of prose memories, Fish Head Soup and Sassafras Tea was published by Proper Publishing, followed in 2020 by her memoir Talking to the Night. She is also the author of an unpublished collection of writing for children: Stories For Adventurous Kids.

Ora is a product of the public school system in Escambia County, having attended Spencer Bibbs Elementary School, Booker T. Washington High School, and Junior College, graduating from high school in 1952 as one of the top four students in her class. She graduated from junior college in 1954. She was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Business Education from Florida A&M University in 1956. She graduated among the top five percent of students and received a Masters of Arts degree in English from the University of West Florida in 1978.

As a career educator, Ora excelled at inspiring her peers and her students. She was named Teacher of the Year twice during her tenure at Tate High School, English Teacher of the Year by the Escambia County Council of Teachers of English (ECCTE), and was among the top five teachers in Escambia County in 1989.

More recently, Ora has been recognized for her generosity and civic engagement. In 2020 she received the Philanthropist of the Year award from the Pensacola Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and in 2021, she was awarded a Medal of Honor for Community Service by the Freedom Foundation of Valley Forge.

Ora is the co-creator of the Mira Award – an achievement award for creative talent that is still awarded annually to high school students in writing, visual and performing arts. In 2020 she established the Mira Fund for Creative Excellence – a scholarship fund for incoming first-year students at the University of West Florida.