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Elizabeth Hardin Goss
1895-1953 Graduated Miss Townsend’s School in Newark and then went to Vassar where she broke the world record in shot put, as well as the basketball and baseball throw. Her shot put record would have won the gold medal at the Amateur Athletic Union championships in 1923-1925 and the 1932 Olympics! After her marriage she…
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Dr. Edith Gann
1905-1998 Graduate of Miller Street School, South Side High and the Normal School. Received a Phd from psychology from Columbia. She was a principal at Camden Street, Avon Avenue, and Maple Avenue Elementary Schools. She was the first woman principal at Avon Ave and also worked as a psychologist. Superintendent Eugene Campbell stated, “I found…
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Jessie Yearance Cann
1882-1964 First woman to gain a Phd in Chemistry at Columbia. She was born in Newark to Frank (Newark alderman) and Fanny Cann and a 1901 graduate of Newark High. She graduated Goucher College and became a science teacher at Belleville High. Her obituary stated she also taught at Newark schools. In 1911 Cann became…
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Mary Womble Spruel
1906-1988 An early Black teacher, hired in 1945 (see Timeline, bottom of page here). Born and raised in Montclair and taught for a total of 48 years, mostly in Newark. Had a masters and doctorate of education from Rutgers. Received the Essex County Distinguished Service Award for Education in 1977. Delegate to the National Education Association,…
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Dorothy Turpin Smith
1910-1987 An early Black teacher, hired in 1945 (see Timeline, bottom of page here). Was eventually appointed Supervisor of Music for Vocal Instruction for Newark. Retired after 30 years in 1975. Was an organist and choir director for over 50 years, especially at First Baptist Peddie and Philips Metropolitan. Born in Bayonne. Bibliography “Smith, Dorothy…
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Maude E Emery
1888-1973 Born in Boston, came to Newark before 1905. Graduated Barnard in 1910. Taught Latin and History at South Side High School for 41 years. Bibliography “Miss Emery 85 Newark Teacher” Star Ledger Jun 12, 1973 South Side Yearbooks npl.org/yearbooks “Newark Girl Graduated from Barnard College” Newark Star Jun 2, 1910
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Bertha Rosenthal
1891-1957 Early College of Pharmacy graduate in 1909, “one of the youngest graduates of the college”. Only one other woman graduated that year, though the first woman graduates were in 1901 there were still very few. Born in Newark. Former President of Federation of Jewish Women’s Organizations in Newark, head of the Mental Health Committee…
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Sarah Elizabeth Collins Houston
1896-1986 Grandmother of Whitney Houston. Born in California in 1896 but lived in Newark on Beach St by the time she was 14. Her father was minister at St. James AME Church. She graduated from East Side in 1914 and attended Trenton State, graduating in 1916. She lived in Newark until at least 1940, when…
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Newark Policewomen Class of 1949
Photo from Star Ledger shows women in training, May 1949. Though police matrons existed and 12 policewomen were listed as acting as of 1947 including Claire Gonzales, Josephone B Renz, and Mary Knapp, these weren’t considered permanent “real” policewomen. Thus, when policewoman were hired in 1949 they were considered by the newspaper, and presumably by…
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Elizabeth Nelligan Hughes
1870 – 1953 President of the Police Matron’s Benevolent Association. Matron of the 4th Precinct Station. Though she was a “matron” the newspaper sometimes referred to her as a “policewoman”. Like many matrons in other cities, she was a working class widow, by 1900 at age 29 she was a police matron and widow with…