December 26, 1985 Jackie Ormes, the first African American female cartoonist, died. Ormes was born Zelda Mavin Jackson on August 1, 1911 in Monongahela, Pennsylvania. Ormes started in journalism as a proofreader for the Pittsburgh Courier. In 1937, her one-panel comic strip “Torchy Brown in Dixie to Harlem” first appeared in the Courier. Ormes moved […]
Archive | December, 2012
December 24th in African American History – Warren “Baby” Dodds
December 24, 1898 Warren “Baby” Dodds, jazz drummer, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dodds gained a reputation as a top young drummer in New Orleans and worked on Mississippi River steamship bands with Louis Armstrong. He moved to California in 1921 to work with Joe “King” Oliver and then followed him to Chicago, Illinois. […]
December 23rd in African American History – William Vernell “Willie” Wood, Sr.
December 23, 1936 William Vernell “Willie” Wood, Sr., hall of fame football player, was born in Washington, D. C. Wood played college football at the University of Southern California where he was the first African American quarterback in Pacific-10 Conference history. Wood was not selected in the 1960 NFL Draft but was signed by the […]
December 22nd in African American History – Jerry Pickney
December 22, 1939 Jerry Pickney, award winning illustrator of children’s books, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pickney began drawing at the age of four and earned a scholarship to the Philadelphia Museum College of Art. After graduation, he held a number of positions in the field of design and illustration. Eventually he opened the Jerry […]
December 21st in African American History – George Faison
December 21, 1945 George Faison, dancer and choreographer, was born in Washington, D.C. Faison entered Howard University in 1964 to study dentistry, but dropped out in 1966 to pursue a career in dance. He moved to New York City and joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1967 and remained there through 1969. In […]
December 20th in African American History – George Edward Chalmer Hayes
December 20, 1968 George Edward Chalmer Hayes, lawyer, died. Hayes was born July 1, 1894 in Richmond, Virginia. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Brown University in 1915 and earned his law degree from Howard University School of Law in 1918. While at Howard, he attained one of the highest academic averages on record there. […]
December 19th in African American History – Reginald Howard White
December 19, 1961 Reginald Howard White, hall of fame football player, was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. From 1980 to 1983, White played for the University of Tennessee where he was an All-American. After college, he signed with the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League and after that league folded in 1985 he signed […]