Hidden Figures: Ida Gray Nelson Rollins (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Ida Gray Nelson Rollins

Ida Gray Nelson Rollins, the first African American Woman dentist, was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, on March 4, 1867. She became an orphan when her mother, Jennie Gray, died in her early teens. After her mother’s death, Ida was raised by her aunt, Caroline Gray, who had three other children, one boy and two daughters. While in high school, Rollins worked as a seamstress and dressmaker and in the dental office of Jonathan and William Taft. Ida Gray graduated from Gaines Public High School in 1887 when she was 20 years old. The part-time job in the dental office was instrumental in her desire to become a dentist. Jonathan Taft was the dean of the Ohio College of Dentistry. In 1875, he became the first dean of the Dental College at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As dean, he was a staunch supporter of admitting women to dental school and subsequently five years later, in 1875, the first woman was enrolled. The mentorship provided by William Taft set the foundation for Rollins to become the first African American woman to graduate from a dental school. Her ability to pass the entrance exam into the University of Michigan was aided by the experience she gained working in his dental office. Gray enrolled in October 1887 and, three years later, she became the first African American woman to graduate with a Doctorate of Dental Surgery in the United States. After graduation in 1890, Gray returned to Cincinnati, Ohio and opened a private dental practice. She remained in this practice until 1895 when she married Sanford Nelson, a Spanish-American War veteran. The couple moved to Chicago, Illinois where Rollins where she set up a practice serving a clientele of men and women of all races. She soon became the first African American, male or female, to practice dentistry in Chicago. Her husband died on March 11, 1926 and three years later at the age of 62, she married William Rollins, a waiter. In addition to her dentistry, Nelson was involved in several clubs and her social activities were widely reported in the black press. She served as vice president of the Professional Women's Club of Chicago, vice president of the Eighth Regiment Ladies’ Auxiliary and was a member of the Phyllis Wheatley Club, a group organized to maintain the only black women’s shelter in Chicago. She also inspired one of her patients, Olive M. Henderson, to become the second black woman dentist in Chicago, and though her office relocated several times, Nelson continued to practice until her retirement in 1928. On June 20, 1944, her second husband died from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. She did not have any children from either marriage and remained a widow until her death. Rollins died on May 3, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois. She was 86 years old. #IdaGrayNelsonRollins #HiddenFigures ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren Follow me on social media! Twitter: @seren_sensei Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: Ida Gray Nelson Rollins: http://dent.umich.edu/about-school/sindecuse-museum/ida-gray-nelson-rollins The Ida Gray Awards: http://www.dent.umich.edu/student-life/extracurricular/ida-gray-awards Rollins, Ida Gray Nelson (1867-1953): http://www.blackpast.org/aah/rollins-ida-gray-nelson-1867-1953 Ida Gray Nelson, Dentist: http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/ida-gray-nelson-dentist-born Dr. Ida Gray Nelson-Rollins: America’s First Black Woman Dentist (1867-1953): https://originalblackwoman.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/dr-ida-gray-nelson-rollins-americas-first-black-woman-dentist-1867-1953/ Gray (Nelson Rollins), Ida 1867–1953: http://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/gray-nelson-rollins-ida-1867-1953 Ida Gray (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ida_Gray