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. Reported in, "Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt will not campaign for son for Calif. governor," Los Angeles Sentinel, 19 Jan. 1950: A2. Dr. Vada Somerville and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt look at an open book at a reception honoring Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt in the Somerville home (2401 Harvard Blvd.). Written on back of photo: Dr. Vada Somerville, conferring with Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt.
Type
image
Identifier
uclalsc_1889_b14_f13_002a.tif ark:/21198/z1z90wh5
Subject
African American civic leaders African American civil rights workers First ladies Receptions African American dentists Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962 Somerville, Vada, 1885-1972
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