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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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Gladys Barker Grauer
1923-2019 Gladys Grauer was a Newark artist called “Newark’s matriarch of the arts”, who launched the Aard Studio Gallery in Newark in 1971, on Bergen Street. She also was a commercial art teacher in the Vo-Tech schools for 15 years. Her work has been displayed locally and nationally. Gladys also ran for office with the…
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Mary C McKeon
1913-1997 Mary McKeon was the first woman president of the NJ Associations of Life Underwriters and the Newark-NJ Association of Life Underwriters. She was the first woman to be a division manager in Prudential Life insurance sales in 1952. She worked in Newark and Montclair. She said, “I was scared to death when I joined…
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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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Rebecca “Becky” Andrade Doggett
1941- Rebecca Doggett has had a long varied career in community organizing, social services, government, education and corporate. She was a founder of Tri City Citizens Union for Progress in 1966 and in the 1970s. In 1965, she was first President and later Executive Director of the Newark Preschool Council. In 1979, she was appointed…
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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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Mildred C Crump
1938-2024 Mildred Crump was Newark’s first African American councilwoman in 1994 and first female council President, from 2006-2010 and 2013-2021. She was also the first African American Braille teacher in NJ. Born in Detroit, as Mildred Coleman, Mildred came to Newark in 1965. In 1973, Mildred was a teacher at Newark’s Helen Keller School, for…
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Barbara J Kukla
1940- Barbara Kukla was a reporter for the Star Ledger for 37 years. She has written many books on historical Newark including, Swing City: Newark Nightlife 1925-1950. Barbara J. Kukla was born in 1940 and grew up in North Arlington, New Jersey. With the Star Ledger, Barbara edited the popular Newark This Week section and…
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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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Mollie Dawkins
1908-1984 Mollie Dawkins was co-organizer of the Dawkins Civic Association, worked for the Housing Authority, and coordinated the Sunshine Teleservice for senior citizens. She was also founder of Community Preservation Service, to improve her neighborhood around Leslie and Schley Street, for which she was honored in 1966. Mollie and her husband founded the South Side…