Category: Born or raised in Newark (high school or before)
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Adelaide Wilson
1902-Unknown Adelaide Wilson was raised in Newark and worked as a reporter, as early as 1920, when she lived on Hawthorne Avenue. In 1921 and 1922 she hiked 10,000 miles to San Francisco & back. She became engaged to a rancher in Denver and worked with movie star Dorothy Dalton, among other adventures. As a…
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Geraldine “GiGi” Foushee
1947-1997 GiGi Foushee was a Newark police officer, county detective, first woman head of Newark’s ABC department, deputy mayor & first woman warden of Essex County Jail. She said, “I love Newark, it’s my home. I understand this city, it’s me.” Charles Cummings wrote, “In a few months short of 50 yrs she accomplished more…
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Zelma Mitchell Collins
1930-2023 Zelma Collins was the first Black teacher at South 17th Street School in 1952 and rose to principal in 1973, the first Black principal. From 1986, she was principal of Clinton Ave., before retiring in 1996. She taught briefly at Oliver Street School before South 17th. She said, “I left a legacy…I gave it…
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Larrie West Stalks
1925-2015 Larrie Stalks was Essex County Register from 1974-1994. Larrie worked at Western Electric and for Local 1286, before she started at City Hall in 1946. She worked her way up through City Hall while also working for Congressman (later Mayor) Addonizio. In 1950, Stalks protested against Far Eastern Restaurant, a downtown Chinese restaurant, for…
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Marion Alexander Bolden
1946- Marion Bolden was superintendent of the Newark Public Schools from 1999-2008. In 2009, Marion founded the Newark Public Schools Historical Preservation Committee, to preserve Newark school history. Marion was born in Newark and is a graduate of South Side High School, where she was president of the National Honor Society and Clinton Place Jr.…
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Bernice Maxwell Cross
c. 1918-2011 Bernice Cross worked at the Star Ledger all her life, from 1939 to 2004. She coordinated several sections of the paper as part of the editorial staff. She also served as a receptionist. For many years she was also a popular soprano singer, who enjoyed singing in choirs. Bernice was one of the…
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Grace Baxter Fenderson
1882-1962 Grace Baxter Fenderson (1882-1962) was one of the first African American teachers in the Newark Public Schools and taught for 42 years, helped found the Newark Branch of the NAACP and served on the board of the Sojourner Truth branch of the YWCA. She was president of the Lincoln-Douglass Memorial Association. From 1936, she…
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Etta Fallon
1880-1960 Etta Fallon was the first women policewoman with Margaret Dugan and Justina Eller in 1918 and they were the only woman officers for many years. She promoted to Sergeant in 1943 with Dugan, retiring in 1948 as the only woman on the force, as the other two women had died. She was assigned for…