Gwendolyn Wilson Fowler
Gwendolyn Wilson Fowler | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gwendolyn Mary Wilson December 8, 1907 |
| Died | November 19, 1997 (aged 89) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Pharmacist/chemist |
| Years active | 1931–74 |
| Known for | First licensed African-American woman pharmacist in Iowa |
Gwendolyn Wilson Fowler (December 8, 1907 – November 19, 1997) was an African-American pharmacist, the first black woman licensed in Iowa. She also became the first African-American woman from Iowa to serve in the United States Foreign Service, when she was posted to Vietnam in the 1950s. She was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 1987.
Biography
Gwendolyn Mary Wilson was born on December 8, 1907, in
Career
After completing her education, Wilson was unable to find employment in Iowa and returned to Holly Springs, Mississippi, where she taught for a year. She returned to Des Moines and worked as a waitress for a time before being hired as a maid by Winnie Ewing Coffin.[1] Coffin was an heiress who bequeathed a trust to the Des Moines Art Center in honor her husband Nathan Emory Coffin for the purchase of artworks.[3] The two women embarked upon a world tour in 1936 to purchase artwork for the museum which was being constructed. Wilson's diary reveals that they had spent most of the year in California,[4] setting out in November 1936 traveling from Seattle to Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada,[5] en route to Hawaii. By early December, they landed in Yokohama, Japan, and then proceeded to Hong Kong,[4] China,[6] Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand,[7] Australia,[8] Sumatra, Bali, Java, Singapore, and back to Japan, where the trip ended following Coffin's sudden death. Wilson returned to Des Moines and on 19 January 1938, she married Lafe H. Fowler. Though she would keep his name, they were divorced in 1946.[1]
In 1944, Fowler was able to secure employment in her field when she was hired by the State of Iowa as a pharmacy clerk.
During her retirement, Fowler was active in many volunteer organizations. She was a lifelong member of the
Fowler died on November 19, 1997,[12] and her papers were posthumously donated to the Iowa Women's Archives Collection at the University of Iowa Libraries in Iowa City, Iowa.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Guide to the Gwendolyn Fowler papers". Iowa City, Iowa: The University of Iowa Libraries. 1998. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ^ a b c Garrett, Lula Jones (May 4, 1957). "Gadabouting in the U.S.A". The Baltimore Afro American. Baltimore, Maryland. p. 9. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ^ Neff 1998, p. 31.
- ^ a b Bunkers 2001, p. 304.
- ^ a b c Bunkers 2001, p. 303.
- ^ Bunkers 2001, p. 305.
- ^ Bunkers 2001, p. 306.
- ^ Bunkers 2001, p. 310.
- ^ Lautier, Louis (February 19, 1955). "Capital Spotlight: The Story of Gwen Fowler". The Washington Afro American. Washington, DC. p. 4.
- ^ Garrett, Lula Jones (May 14, 1957). "Gadabouting in the U.S. A.: Peregrinators". The Washington Afro American. Washington, DC. p. 10. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ^ Lautier, Louis (August 15, 1959). "Capital Spotlight". The Washington Afro American. Washington, DC. p. 4. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ^ a b "Gwendolyn Wilson Fowler". Des Moines, Iowa: Iowa Department of Human Rights. 1997. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
Bibliography
- Bunkers, Suzanne L. (2001). Diaries of Girls and Women: A Midwestern American Sampler. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-17223-7.
- Neff, Terry, ed. (1998). An Uncommon Vision. Des Moines, Iowa: Des Moines Art Center (distributed by Hudson Hills Press, New York). ISBN 978-1-879003-20-0.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
