1923-2016
Evelyn Boyden Darrell was a Newark Black journalist, writing a national column for the Afro, and later the first Black woman psychologist at Bellevue Hospital in NYC.
Evelyn Boyden was born in Newark in 1923 and graduated with the West Side High class of 1940. She lived on South 13th Street and Bruce Street growing up.
In the early 1940s she was involved with the Sojourner Truth YWCA and frequently mentioned in the columns of the New Jersey Herald News. In the later 1940s and early 1950s she is listed as a contributing editor and/or research editor for After Hours News, a Newark magazine.
From 1950-1956 Evelyn wrote a column on Newark society for the national Afro American newspaper called “Day in and Day Out with Evelyn Boyden”, later “Day In and Day Out Around Newark”, sometimes “Nosing Around Newark”. She mentioned Newark women in her column including Gwendolyn Goldsby Grant, Dorothy Gould, and Connie Woodruff. During that time, the Afro mentions her as a staff member and “social reporter” and the newspapers.com database brings up over 150 columns.
In Sept 1954, Evelyn married Thomas Earl Darrell. During that time she was also working as a clinical clerk for the VA.
Eventually, Evelyn earned her B.A., M.A. and PhD at NYU. She then became the first Black woman psychologist to work at Bellevue/NYU Hospital in New York City.
Evelyn was a member of the Zontas, District Council 37 of the AFL-CIO, the NAACP and many other groups. She also annually attended the Black Caucus in Washington DC.
Bibliography
Newark Library Digital Archive including West Side 1940 Yearbook: 1 2
1940 and 1950 census records
Afro American columns, newspapers.com and “Afro Reporter Weds” Sept 18, 1954
“Evelyn Boyden Darrell” Montclair Times Jun 30, 2016