Ora-Westley Schwemmer Cady was a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She received a bachelor’s degree in history from Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and obtained her doctorate in Latin American history from Tulane University. She taught in the History Department at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette) from 1963 until retirement in 1996. Dr. Cady traveled extensively throughout the world including Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, Africa, and China. She spoke Spanish and French and read Portuguese and Latin.

From 1979 to 1983, Dr. Cady was the American Association of University Women’s [AAUW] Area Representative for International Relations. This position placed her on the AAUW Board of Directors, the Program Development Committee, and the Association Legislative Program Committee. She served on the AAUW Educational Foundation Board of Directors from 1981 to 1983.