Olivia Hooker

Olivia Hooker
Dr. Hooker addressing an audience at a Women's History Month celebration in Manhattan on 30 March 2011.
Born	Olivia J. Hooker (1915-02-12) February 12, 1915 Muskogee, Oklahoma
Education	Ohio State University[1] Teachers College, Columbia University[2] University of Rochester[2]
Occupation	Professor, psychologist

Dr. Olivia J. Hooker (born February 12, 1915) was the first African-American woman to enter the U.S. Coast Guard, which she did in February 1945.^[3][4] She thus became a SPAR (Semper Paratus Always Ready), a member of the United States Coast Guard Women's Reserve, during World War II.^[5] She earned the Yeoman, Second Class rank during her service.^[6] She served in the Coast Guard until her unit disbanded in mid-1946.^[7]

Early life and education

Hooker was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma on February 12, 1915.^[8] Ku Klux Klan members ransacked her home during the Tulsa Massacre of Black Wall Street of 1921.^[3] Later Hooker was a founder of the Tulsa Race Riot Commission in hopes of demanding reparations for the riot's survivors.^[6] In 2003, she was among survivors of the riot to file an unsuccessful federal lawsuit seeking reparations.^[9]

After the riots, Hooker's family moved to Columbus, Ohio where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in 1937 from Ohio State University. While at OSU, she joined the Delta Sigma Theta sorority where she advocated for African-American women to be admitted to the navy.^[10] She received her Masters ten years later in 1947 from the Teachers College of Columbia University. In 1961, she received her PhD in psychology from the University of Rochester.^[7]

Olivia Hooker (front) with Aileen Anita Cooks (behind) on the USS Neversail during boot training, Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn

Career

U.S. Coast Guard

She applied to the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) of the U.S. Navy, but was rejected due to her ethnicity.^[7] She disputed the rejection due to a technicality and Hooker was accepted. However, she had already decided to join the Coast Guard.^[11] She entered the U.S. Coast Guard in February 1945. On March 9, 1945, Hooker went to basic training for six weeks in Manhattan Beach, NY where Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARS) had to attend class and pass exams. She was one of only five African-American females to first enlist in the SPAR program. After basic training, Hooker specialized in the yeoman rate and remained at boot camp for an additional nine weeks before heading to Boston.^[11] Here, she performed administrative duties and earned the rank of Yeoman Second Class in the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve.^[9] In June 1946, the SPAR program was disbanded and Hooker earned the rank of petty officer 2nd class and a Good Conduct Award.^[11]

Psychology

After receiving her Masters, Hooker moved upstate to work in the mental hygiene department of a women’s correctional facility in Albion. Many women in this facility were considered to have severe learning disabilities by staff. Hooker believed they were more capable than given credit and re-evaluated them and helped the women to pursue better education and jobs. She credited this success with “approaching them with an open mind.”^[10]

In 1963, she joined Fordham University as a senior clinical lecturer; eventually she became an associate professor until 1985.^[12]

She was one of the founders of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Division 33, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. She served as an early director of the Kennedy Child Study Center in New York City.^[13]

Later life

Hooker retired at age 87.^[6] She joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary at age 95.^[3] She is currently serving as a volunteer in the Coast Guard Auxiliary in Yonkers, NY.^[14]

Awards

• American Psychological Association (APA) Presidential Citation (2011)^[7]
• Good Conduct Medal Coast Guard^[15]
• New York State Senate Veterans' Hall of Fame (2012)^[1]

Legacy

On Monday, February 9, 2015, Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand spoke in Congress about Hooker to "pay tribute" to her.^[15]

Also in 2015 the Dr. Olivia Hooker Dining Facility on the Staten Island coast guard facility was named in her honor.^[16][3] A training facility at the Coast Guard’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. was also named after her that same year.^[17] On May 20, 2015, President Barack Obama recognized the Coast Guard service and legacy of Dr. Olivia Hooker while in attendance at the 134th Commencement of the United States Coast Guard Academy.^[18]

References