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Dr. Edith Gann
1905-1998 Dr. Edith Gann was a school principal and psychologist whose writing was used nationwide. Dr. Edith was a graduate of Miller Street School, South Side High and the Normal School. She received a Phd from psychology from Columbia. Dr. Edith was a principal at Camden Street, Avon Avenue, and Maple Avenue Elementary Schools. She…
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Jessie Yearance Cann
1882-1964 Jessie Cann was the first woman to gain a Phd in Chemistry at Columbia.* Jessie was born in Newark to Frank (Newark alderman) and Fanny Cann and was 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…
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Mary Womble Spruel
1906-1988 Mary Womple Spruel was an early Black teacher, hired in 1945 (see Timeline, bottom of page here). Mary was born and raised in Montclair and taught for a total of 48 years, mostly in Newark. She had a masters and doctorate of education from Rutgers. Mary received the Essex County Distinguished Service Award from the…
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Dorothy Turpin Smith
1910-1987 Dorothy Turpin was an early Black teacher in the Newark Public Schools hired in 1945. She was eventually appointed Supervisor of vocal music for the Newark schools and retired after 30 years in 1975. Dorothy was also an organist and choir director for over 50 years, especially at First Baptist Peddie and Philips Metropolitan.…
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Maude E Emery
1888-1973 Maude Emery taught Latin and History at South Side High School for 41 years. In 1936, she won second prize in the New York Times syllabus contest. She was part of the NJ Association of Teachers of Social Studies. Maude was born in Boston, and came to Newark before 1905 and graduated from Newark…
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Bertha Lewit Rosenthal
1891-1957 Bertha was an 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. Bertha was born in Newark and lived at 521 18th Avenue in 1916 when she married…
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Sarah Elizabeth Collins Houston
1895-1986 Sarah Elizabeth Collins Houston (usually went by Elizabeth, possibly because her mother was also Sarah Elizabeth) was the grandmother of Whitney Houston. She was 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. Elizabeth graduated from…
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Newark Policewomen Class of 1949
Photo from Star Ledger shows women in training, May 1949 [Photo shows Virginia Garber and Catherine Daly]. When policewoman were hired in 1949 they were considered by the newspaper, and presumably by all, to be the first hired “in 30 years” since the 1918 hiring of Margaret Dugan, Justina Eller and Etta Fallon. Some didn’t remember 1918, and…
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Elizabeth Nelligan Hughes
1870 – 1953 Elizabeth Hughes was President of the Police Matron’s Benevolent Association and 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…
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Grizel Ubarry
1953- Grizel Ubarry served as director of ASPIRA in Newark from 1976 to 1982, starting when she was just 24. She served as director of the Division of Community Development for Essex County from 1983-1985. She then became a consultant, as president of G. Ubarry Inc. As a consultant, she has worked with non-profit organizations,…