Category: Born or raised in Newark (high school or before)
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Ruth Crumpton Dargan
1921-2010 Ruth Dargan became a Newark policewoman in 1949, in the second class of women. She was the first Newark woman detective, with her partner. Ruth was chosen for the Homicide Squad and sent to Quantico for advanced criminal investigation. She was the only woman chosen to initiate the Sex Crimes Unit during her tenure.…
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Florence Peshine Eagleton
1870-1953 Florence Eagleton was active in suffrage and a civic leader in NJ. She was a lifelong Newark resident. Florence Peshine Eagleton a suffragist who was was vice President of the NJ Suffrage Association and president of the Woman’s Political Union. She was a founder of the New Jersey League of Woman Voters. Florence was…
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Elizabeth Miele
1898-1975? Elizabeth Miele was an early law school graduate, journalist and playwright. Elizabeth Miele was a newspaper reporter for the Newark Ledger, publisher of The Civic Pilot. She organized the Club Service Publishing Company, an advertising syndicate for women’s club publications. Elizabeth was a 1921 graduate of New Jersey Law School, an early woman lawyer.…
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Dorothy Palmer
c. 1893-1984 Dorothy Palmer operated the Dorothy Palmer School of dancing on Broadway in Newark for more than 50 years. She retired in 1963. Born in Newark, Dorothy attended Barringer High. She was member of the Dance Masters of America. She began teaching students at age 13 when she was at Elliot Street School. Bibliography…
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Grace L Boynton Gregory
1919-2007 Grace Gregory owned Poro Beauty Shop on West Market in the 1940s-1950s. She was also a certified Notary Public. In 1983, she founded “Guiding Light Inc.” (originally Caring and Sharing) a tutoring and counseling agency. She said “We want to help people develop a ‘road of life’ plan…We want to help the children and…
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Nellie Gray Grashof
c. 1843-1928 Nellie (Ellen) Gray Grashof was a singer, mezzo-soprano, who had a 75 year career. She said, at age 83, “It is music that has kept me alive.” Her death in 1928 ran on the front page of the Newark Evening News. Nellie Gray was born in North Carolina, but came to Newark early…
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Olivia Queene Brown
1882-1954 Beauty culturist since 1912, ran the Poro Beauty School on 9 Wallace Street which she opened in 1936 or 1937. On her death, the Afro American wrote how she had organized the Poro Club, training women, and allowing hundreds of women to enjoy “a comfortable living as Poro beauticians, agents and shopowners”. The Afro…
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Gloria Fowles Gaynor
1943- Gloria Gayner, born Gloria Fowles in Newark, is a singer, whose biggest hit is the 1978 “I Will Survive”. Gloria lived on Howard Street and the Stella Wright Projects as a child and graduated South Side High in 1961. In 1963, she wrote a letter to the Star Ledger in tribute to President Kennedy.…