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Ida Gray

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Ida Gray
Ida Gray Nelson, 1900
Born(1867-03-04)March 4, 1867
Clarksville, Montgomery County, Tennessee
DiedMay 3, 1953(1953-05-03) (aged 86)
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Other namesIda Gray Nelson, Ida Rollins
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
OccupationDentist
Years active1875–1928
Known forfirst African-American dentist in the United States

Ida Gray (also known in her later career as Ida Gray Nelson; March 4, 1867 – May 3, 1953) was the first African-American woman to become a dentist in the United States. An orphan, she became interested in dentistry when she went to work in the offices of Jonathan Taft, an early advocate for women to learn dentistry. After her apprenticeship in his office, Gray was able to pass the entrance examinations to attended the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. When she graduated, it was widely published that she was the first African American dentist in the United States and she was promoted as a role model for women to follow. Gray practiced in Ohio before settling in Chicago, where she remained until her death.

Early life

Ida Gray was born on March 4, 1867, in Clarksville, Tennessee, she was an infant when her teenage mother Jenny Gray died. Her father was a white man and had no part in raising her when her mother died, Gray was sent to live with her aunt, Caroline Gray in Cincinnati, Ohio. She, along with Caroline's three children, Howard, Susan and Mary, attended the segregated public schools. Though she worked from an early age, taking in sewing, Gray persevered with her schooling and graduated from Gaines High School in 1887.[1]

Career

During her schooling, Gray began working in the offices of Jonathan Taft, an early advocate of women being trained as dentists. He had been the dean of the Ohio College of Dentistry and was recruited by the University of Michigan to help found their first dental school. When he left Ohio to take up the post, Taft kept an office with William Taft in Cincinnati.[1] Gray worked in the office for approximately three years, learning enough to pass the entrance examinations for the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, which she entered on October 1, 1887.[2] Gray graduated in June 1890, becoming the first African-American woman dentist in the United States.[1]

Gray's accomplishment was widely published and she opened an office at 216 Ninth Street in Cincinnati.[3][4][5] In her practice, she serviced both white and black customers and was repeatedly cited in black media as a role model for other women.[6] In 1895, she relocated her practice to Chicago after marrying James Sanford Nelson in March of that year. He was a naturalized American citizen, originally from Canada, who was a lawyer, captain and quartermaster for the Illinois National Guard and later worked for many years as an accountant for the city of Chicago.[7]

As she had in Cincinnati, Nelson served both black and white clientele, as well as both adults and children, though her reputation was for her gentleness with children. She inspired one of her patients, Olive M. Henderson, to become the second black woman dentist in Chicago. Though her office relocated several times, Nelson continued to practice until her retirement in 1928.[8] In 1929, Nelson, whose first husband James had died in 1926, married William A. Rollins.[7]

In addition to her dentistry, Nelson was involved in several clubs and her social activities were widely reported in the black press.[9][10][11][12] She served as vice president of the Professional Women's Club of Chicago,[7] vice president of the Eighth Regiment Ladies' Auxiliary[13] and was a member of the Phyllis Wheatley Club, a group organized to maintain the only black women’s shelter in Chicago.[14]

Death and legacy

Ida Rollins died on May 3, 1953, in Chicago. An annual diversity award given in her name was established by the School of Dentistry at the University of Michigan.[8] Though no comprehensive work has been done on a biography of Gray Nelson Rollins, she is often cited in works as "an example of achievement and inspiration for others to follow".[15]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Dykes Jr. 1996, p. 496.
  2. ^ University of Michigan School of Dentistry 2014.
  3. ^ The Pittsburgh Dispatch 1891, p. 15.
  4. ^ Haley 1895, p. 84.
  5. ^ Majors 1893, p. 241.
  6. ^ Scruggs 1893, p. 226.
  7. ^ a b c Dykes Jr. 1996, p. 497.
  8. ^ a b University of Michigan School of Dentistry 2013.
  9. ^ The Broad Ax 1905, p. 2.
  10. ^ The Montana Plaindealer 1907, p. 1.
  11. ^ The Broad Ax & May 24, 1913, p. 2.
  12. ^ The Broad Ax & August 2, 1913, p. 2.
  13. ^ The Appeal 1909, p. 7.
  14. ^ The New York Age 1910, p. 3.
  15. ^ Coleman 2015.

Bibliography

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