Gertrude Curtis | |
---|---|
Born | March 1, 1880 |
Died | August 3, 1973 | (aged 93)
Nationality | American |
Other names | Gertrude Curtis McPherson (using 1st husband's legal surname) |
Occupation | Dentist |
Spouse(s) |
Cecil Mack Ulysses "Slow Kid" Thompson |
Gertrude Elizabeth Curtis (March 1, 1880 – August 3, 1973), also known as Gertrude Curtis McPherson, was an American dentist. She had a longtime practice in Harlem.
Curtis was from Bradford, Pennsylvania, [1] the daughter of Stephen Curtis and Agnes Elizabeth Curtis. Her father was a barber. She graduated from the New York College of Dental and Oral Surgery in 1909, [2] becoming the first black woman to gain a dentistry license in New York State. [3]
Soon after completing her dental education, Curtis ran a weekly dental clinic at Bellevue Hospital. [3] She had a dental practice in Harlem for many years. [4] [5]
Curtis was active in politics and civic organizations. [6] [7] She served as a delegate to the 1918 Republican State Convention in Saratoga, [8] and represented the Roosevelt Colored Women's Republican Club at the 1920 Republican National Convention in Chicago. She was president of the Business and Professional Women's Club in Harlem in 1932. [9] She was a member of the NAACP, spoke at the YWCA and Mother Zion Church on health topics, [10] and helped to raise money for the Sojourner Truth Home for Wayward Girls. [11] She was active with the Harlem Experimental Theatre. [12]
Curtis was also involved in her musician husband's work. She helped with publicity for a special midnight performance of Shuffle Along in 1921, a benefit for the NAACP. [13] She accompanied a show on its European tour in 1923, and directed a choir during another show's tour in Europe in 1929 [14] and 1930. [11]
Curtis married "Charleston" composer Cecil Mack (Richard Cecil McPherson) in 1912; she was widowed when Mack died in 1944. [1] [15] In 1946, [16] she became the fourth wife of dancer Ulysses "Slow Kid" Thompson, who was the widower of Florence Mills. [17] She died in 1973, aged 93 years. [11] [18]
Gertrude Curtis | |
---|---|
Born | March 1, 1880 |
Died | August 3, 1973 | (aged 93)
Nationality | American |
Other names | Gertrude Curtis McPherson (using 1st husband's legal surname) |
Occupation | Dentist |
Spouse(s) |
Cecil Mack Ulysses "Slow Kid" Thompson |
Gertrude Elizabeth Curtis (March 1, 1880 – August 3, 1973), also known as Gertrude Curtis McPherson, was an American dentist. She had a longtime practice in Harlem.
Curtis was from Bradford, Pennsylvania, [1] the daughter of Stephen Curtis and Agnes Elizabeth Curtis. Her father was a barber. She graduated from the New York College of Dental and Oral Surgery in 1909, [2] becoming the first black woman to gain a dentistry license in New York State. [3]
Soon after completing her dental education, Curtis ran a weekly dental clinic at Bellevue Hospital. [3] She had a dental practice in Harlem for many years. [4] [5]
Curtis was active in politics and civic organizations. [6] [7] She served as a delegate to the 1918 Republican State Convention in Saratoga, [8] and represented the Roosevelt Colored Women's Republican Club at the 1920 Republican National Convention in Chicago. She was president of the Business and Professional Women's Club in Harlem in 1932. [9] She was a member of the NAACP, spoke at the YWCA and Mother Zion Church on health topics, [10] and helped to raise money for the Sojourner Truth Home for Wayward Girls. [11] She was active with the Harlem Experimental Theatre. [12]
Curtis was also involved in her musician husband's work. She helped with publicity for a special midnight performance of Shuffle Along in 1921, a benefit for the NAACP. [13] She accompanied a show on its European tour in 1923, and directed a choir during another show's tour in Europe in 1929 [14] and 1930. [11]
Curtis married "Charleston" composer Cecil Mack (Richard Cecil McPherson) in 1912; she was widowed when Mack died in 1944. [1] [15] In 1946, [16] she became the fourth wife of dancer Ulysses "Slow Kid" Thompson, who was the widower of Florence Mills. [17] She died in 1973, aged 93 years. [11] [18]