Trailblazer Remembered

*Prepare to read a lengthy blog because I choose not to abbreviate the long, well-lived life of a Trailblazer.  Her 103 years of life, many of them spent in service in the U.S., deserves celebrating. So who is the lovely, high-spirited lady that I make reference to? Just remember while reading; it’s not Black History Month. But it is history [period].

⭐️The first Black American Woman to serve active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1945 was a champion for service. She helped lay the groundwork for the civil rights movement, and she is none other than Dr. Olivia Juliette Hooker.

“Dr. Hooker was an American psychologist and professor. She was the last known survivor of the Tulsa race riots of 1921, and the first African-American woman to enter the U.S. Coast Guard in February 1945. Hooker became a SPAR (Semper Paratus Always Ready), a member of the United States Coast Guard Women's Reserve, during World War II, earning the rank of Yeoman, Second Class during her service. She served in the Coast Guard until her unit was disbanded in mid-1946; she went on to become a psychologist and a professor at Fordham University.”

After retirement, age 87, Dr. Hooker continued volunteering her service by joining the Coast Guard Auxiliary at age 95.  Her tenacity and commitment did not age as she did. During her illustrious life, Dr. Hooker received numerous awards. Amongst them, President Barack Obama recognized her service during a commencement ceremony of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He recognized not only her coast guard service but her legacy as well. Dr. Hooker proved that service is just another word for “heart”. Where a person serves is a direct reflection of where their heart is. Dr. Hooker certainly more than served well as a citizen of the United States Of America. She served the people in her country.

Legacy of The Trailblazer:  Dr. Hooker received the American Psychological Association Presidential Citation in 2011. In 2012, she was inducted into the New York State Senate Veterans' Hall of Fame.

On February 9, 2015, Kirsten Gillibrand spoke in Congress to "pay tribute" to Hooker.

In the same year, the Olivia Hooker Dining Facility on the Staten Islandcoast guard facility was named in her honor.  A training facility at the Coast Guard's headquarters in Washington, D.C. was also named after her that same year.

On May 20, 2015, President Barack Obama recognized Hooker's Coast Guard service and legacy while in attendance at the 134th Commencement of the United States Coast Guard Academy.

On November 11, 2018, Google honored her by telling her story as part of a Google Doodle for the Veterans Day holiday.

Dr. Hooker received an education from Ohio State University, Columbia University and the University of Rochester, where she earned her PhD.

{Dr. Hooker passed away on November 21, 2018 of natural causes in her home in White Plains, NY.}

🦚GPS

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