Category: 1930-1959 (Born)
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Patricia Fenix Kettenring
1941-2023 Born in CA, Patricia Kettenring created and directed the Business and the Arts Program at the Rutgers Newark Business. Pat taught courses in marketing, non-profit accounting, entrepreneurship, and arts fundraising. Pat wanted to address inequality in Newark through arts so she founded GlassRoots in Newark in 2001. GlassRoots provides glassmaking workshops and business skill…
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Debra Holmes
1953- Holmes was one of the first women in NJ to graduate as a Journeyman, Machinist, Tool & Die Maker / Mechanical Engineer. She worked at Westinghouse and then Anhueser-Busch in Newark, where she was the only female Machinist and Mechanical Tech Planner in the history of the company. Holmes worked at Anhueser-Busch for 32…
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Gloria Jones Swieringa
1938- In 1956, Gloria Jones was believed to be the first blind student ever elected to the National Honor Society, while she was at Barringer High School. She was an A student and also involved in many clubs and planned to go to Boston University. She said, “I do not believe I could do anything…
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Elsie Reed Eatman
1930-2014 Elsie Reed Eatman was a community activist, involved in various protests and strikes, especially for housing. Much of Elsie’s work focused around Housing and Pennington Court. She was the first president of the Pennington Court Tenants Association and vice president of the Newark Tenants Council. She co-wrote a history of Pennington Court with Walter…
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Dr. Gwendolyn Goldsby Grant
1935-2018 Dr. Gwendolyn Goldsby Grant was an advice columnist at Essence Magazine for over 25 years, writing the “Sexual Health” column. Essence called her “a legend in sexual health”. She wrote The best kind of loving : a black woman’s guide to finding intimacy Besides her writing, Gwendolyn taught at public schools in East Orange,…
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Mary Boland
c. 1950- Mary Goretti Boland was director of the AIDs program at the Children’s Hospital of New Jersey in Newark. She co-founded the program with Dr. James Oleske and was honored internationally for her work with children with AIDs. She said, “I am very impressed with the deep strengths shown by families of AIDS victims…I…
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Ruth McClain Rambo
1940-2024 Ruth Rambo, known at the time as Ruth McClain, is a graduate of Fisk University. In the 1960s she took a job with the Urban League and became one of it’s first female directors. She was associate exec director and in 1975 sued the Essex Co. Urban League saying she was denied the Exec.…
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Dorthaan Williams Kirk
1938- Dorthaan Kirk was one of the first people hired by Newark’s jazz station WBGO and became the face of and a fierce advocate for the station. She served as Director of Community Relations and Special Events, among other roles over the years. Dorthann has promoted, curated and produced jazz events throughout the region. She…