Skip to main content

Image / Fiftieth wedding anniversary of Drs. John and Vada Somerville, Los Angeles, 1962

Have a question about this item?

Item information. View source record on contributor's website.

Title
Fiftieth wedding anniversary of Drs. John and Vada Somerville, Los Angeles, 1962
Alternative Title
Somerville community activities (1)
Date Created and/or Issued
October 16, 1962
1962-10-16
Contributing Institution
UCLA, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library
Collection
Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection
Rights Information
spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
Description
Dr. Vada Somerville (born Vada Jetmore Watson) of Pomona graduated from USC, married dentist John Alexander Somerville (1912), was the first African American woman and the second African American person to graduate from USC School of Dentistry (1918), and was the first African American woman certified to practice dentistry in the state of California. She was a civil rights activist, highly involved in several civic and community organizations.
Miriam Matthews was hired in 1927 as the first African American librarian in the Los Angeles Public Library. Matthews was also a civil rights activist, historian, and collector of African American art and primary source materials. She was the sister of businesswoman Ella Matthews and lawyer Charles Matthews,
Minnie Pickens was the wife of William Pickens, a writer, orator, and official of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Dr. John Somerville, born in Jamaica, was the first black graduate of USC School of Dentistry (1907). He married Vada Jetmore Watson (1912), who also became a dentist. He built the Somerville Hotel (1928), was instrumental in the founding of the Los Angeles chapter of NAACP (1914), and served on the Police Commission 1949-1953.
Dr. Alice Watkins Garrott was a dentist who married dentist. Dr. Alva Curtis Garrott.
50th wedding anniversary celebration, with Dr. Vada Somerville (3rd from left) and friends.
Type
image
Identifier
uclalsc_1889_b14_f10_014a.tif
ark:/21198/z1475tzx
Subject
Wedding anniversaries
African American civil rights workers
African American businesspeople
African American dentists
Somerville, John Alexander, 1881-1973
Matthews, Miriam
Somerville, Vada, 1885-1972
Garrott, Alice Watkins, 1889-1985
Pickens, Minnie, b. 1880
Source
Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection
OpenUCLA Collections

About the collections in Calisphere

Learn more about the collections in Calisphere. View our statement on digital primary resources.

Copyright, permissions, and use

If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.

Share your story

Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.

Explore related content on Calisphere: