Palmer van Gundy was an active member of the Church of Christian Fellowship, the Executive Director of the local, Los Angeles FEPC (Fair Employment Practice Committee) in 1947, involved in local church music events, and was a frequent contributor to the letters to the editor section of the Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper from 1967 to 1986. 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. Stewart Grant Cole was a religious educator and lecturer, who taught at more than 30 universities including U.S.C. and U.C.L.A. in the United States and the Queens University and University of Toronto in Canada. He authored or coauthored six books. 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. Harold M. Kingsley was a Congregational minister and political activist. Born in Mobile, Alabama, he was the son of a wealthy white man and a poor black woman. He graduated from Talladega College (1908), and Yale Divinity School (1911). He was the pastor of Bethel Church in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the Union Congregational Church in Newport, Rhode Island (1911 to 1913), then with the American Missionary Association (AMA) (1913-1920). After serving as a pastor in Cleveland, Kingsley went to Good Shepherd Church in Chicago (1927-1943) where he led the church in providing social welfare services and encouraging community development. Kingsley then moved to Little Tokyo in Los Angeles where he served as director of Pilgrim House (1943-1951). He arrived when nearly all of the Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals were in internment camps, and was a vocal opponent of their incarceration and made strides to reintegrate the group into the community upon their return. Kingsley continued to be active in California race relations for the remainder of his life and actively promoted harmonious race relations between blacks, whites, Chicano, and Japanese. Leslie Pinckney was an African-American educator, writer and community leader. The son of a former slave, Hill was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. His family moved to East Orange, New Jersey, where he attended high school. He excelled so much in school that he skipped his junior year, and was accepted to Harvard University his senior year. He entered Harvard University in 1899, supplementing his scholarship by working as a waiter. There he attended the classes of William James and was active in debating. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated with Cum Laude (1904) and earned a masters in education (1904). Hill taught at Tuskegee Institute (1904-1907), and was principal of the Manassas Industrial Institute (1907-1913). From 1913 to 1951 he was principal at the Cheyney, Philadelphia Institute for Colored Youth, overseeing changes in name and status as Cheyney State Teachers College. In 1928 Hill published a play about Toussaint L'Ouverture. In 1944, he founded Camp Hope, a camp for underprivileged children in Delaware County. Hill was a part of the Harlem Renaissance. The Somerville home was located at 2401 Harvard Blvd. Text from newspaper caption: Summer Benefit -- A garden party was held in the lovely Somerville Gardens recently by the Church of Christian Fellowship for the benefit of the summer work and craft program. Seen above are the hosts and guests of honor. Left to right: Mrs. G. Raymond Booth, Dr. G. Raymond Booth, co-pastor of the Church of Christian Fellowship, Mrs. Stewart Cole, Dr. Stewart Cole, executive, Pacific Coast Council of Intercultural Relations, Secretary Palmer Van Gundy, Los Angeles FEPS Committee, Dr. John A. Somerville, host, Mrs. Harold M. Kingsley, Rev. Harold M. Kingsley, executive pastor, Church of Christian Fellowship, Dr. Vada Somerville, hostess, Dr. Leslie Pinkney Hill, president, Cheney Teachers College. Los Angeles Sentinel, 21 Jul. 1947: 18. Photographer's stamp on back of photo: McLain's Photo Service / 24 hour service / 1168 East 47th Place / AD 1-9732 Los Angeles 11, Calif.
Type
image
Identifier
uclalsc_1889_b14_f10_018a.tif ark:/21198/z1m91srb
Subject
African American civil rights workers African American Educators African American businesspeople African American dentists Hill, Leslie Pinckney, 1880-1960 Kingsley, Mattie Satyra, 1889-1971 Cole, Stewart Grant, 1892-1980 Van Gundy, Palmer, 1909-1992 Kingsley, Harold M., 1887-1970 Somerville, Vada, 1885-1972 Booth, G. Raymond (George Raymond), 1895-1953 Booth, Gracie Irene, 1895-1971 Cole, Steward, Mrs Somerville, John Alexander, 1881-1973
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