Jessie Scott Hathcock

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Jessie Hathcock graduation photo, University of Dayton, 1930

Jessie Valeria Scott Hathcock (April 24, 1894 – January 30, 1986) was an American

African American woman to graduate from the University of Dayton
and earned a bachelor's degree in education.

Early life and education

Jesse Valeria Scott was born in

W.E.B. DuBois wrote to the university, inquiring about the number of African American students at the university for an upcoming article in the NAACP magazine The Crisis. In the university's response, Brother Joseph Muench, S.M., secretary to the university's president, notes that the only African American student at the time was Jessie S. Hathcock who had recently graduated with a "satisfactory" record.[5] According to Muench, while African American students were admitted to night classes and law school, they were generally barred from day classes due to the university's large number of students from Southern states.[6]

After graduating from the University of Dayton, Hathcock received her

Ph.D. from Ohio State University but withdrew to travel internationally.[8] On April 30, 1978, Hathcock received an honorary doctorate of humanities from the University of Dayton,[9] making her the first African American woman to do so.[10]

Career and community work

Before Hathcock was an English teacher and Dean of Girls at Dunbar High School, she worked as a visiting teacher at Dayton Public Schools. After 34 years at Dunbar, she retired in 1964, working briefly as an English professor at

Red Cross.[12] She encouraged her students to pursue higher education, assisting with payments for their college applications and writing to colleges on their behalf.[13]
Before her retirement from Dunbar, she used money raised from her own travelogues to set up a scholarship for students.

Hathcock was also involved in the Dayton community. After visiting India and witnessing begging and starving children, her founding and chairmanship of the Dayton and Miami Valley Committee for

socialites and civic service activists who met bi-weekly to play bridge and to host events in the Dayton community.[16]

Hathcock's community service activities also addressed legal issues. She and the NAACP assisted Andrew Freeman, a man accused of killing a police officer and sentenced to death. They proved that the trial had been unfair, eventually securing a new trial where Freeman was cleared of all charges.[17]

Honors and awards

Jessie Hathcock received many awards for her academic and humanitarian achievements. She received the Outstanding Women's Award from the Beta Chi chapter of Iota Phi Lambda in 1963, and in 1967, she was named one of the Ten Top Women in Dayton. Hathcock was also the recipient of the City Beautiful award for her refurbishing of an abandoned home.[18]

In 2004, the University of Dayton started the Jessie V. Scott Hathcock Memorial scholarship for female, African American students majoring in education or English, with a preference for residents from the city of Dayton. The University of Dayton named its computer science building the Jessie S. Hathcock Hall in honor of her in January 2021.[19]

Personal life

As a prominent member of the Dayton community, Hathcock used her influence to invite well-known speakers, scholars and activists to speak in Dayton. These guests included

W.E.B. DuBois.[20] In February 1940, Hathcock brought DuBois to Dayton for a talk on "Democracy and the Darker Races". DuBois and Hathcock maintained a correspondence from 1925 to 1951.[21]

During

Żagań, Poland as of 1945).[22][23]

She died Jan. 30, 1986, and is buried in Walnut Grove Cemetery in Worthington, Franklin County, Ohio

References

  1. ^ Powell, Lisa (February 11, 2021). "Once Rejected Due to Race, Jessie Hathcock Became the First Female African American Graduate of the University of Dayton".
  2. ^ Morrow, Pat (20 January 1967). "Retired Teacher Refurbishes Houses and People". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  3. ^ Schulz, Kristina. "Jessie Hathcock". Women's Center. University of Dayton. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Computer science building to honor Jessie S. Hathcock, first African American woman UD graduate". Catholic Telegraph. February 8, 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  5. ^ Gauder, Heidi; Waldron, Caroline. "'The Considerable Number of Students': A Response to W.E.B. Du Bois". University Libraries. University of Dayton. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  6. ^ Spina, Eric F.; Fitz, Father James. "Message to Campus about DuBois Letter". University of Dayton. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  7. ^ Powell, Lisa (February 11, 2021). "Once Rejected Due to Race, Jessie Hathcock Became the First Female African American Graduate of the University of Dayton".
  8. ^ Morrow, Pat (20 January 1967). "Retired Teacher Refurbishes Houses and People". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  9. ^ University of Dayton (13 April 1978). "University Commencement - Five Honorary Degrees - April 30, 1978, UD Arena". Press release.
  10. ^ Schulz, Kristina. "Jessie Hathcock". Women's Center. University of Dayton. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  11. ^ Powell, Lisa (February 11, 2021). "Once Rejected Due to Race, Jessie Hathcock Became the First Female African American Graduate of the University of Dayton".
  12. ^ Schulz, Kristina. "Jessie Hathcock". Women's Center. University of Dayton. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  13. ^ Powell, Lisa (February 11, 2021). "Once Rejected Due to Race, Jessie Hathcock Became the First Female African American Graduate of the University of Dayton".
  14. ^ Morrow, Pat (20 January 1967). "Retired Teacher Refurbishes Houses and People". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  15. ^ Schulz, Kristina. "Jessie Hathcock". Women's Center. University of Dayton. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Bridgettes Sponsor Art and Music Students". The Dayton Forum. 14 July 1939. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  17. ^ Morrow, Pat (20 January 1967). "Retired Teacher Refurbishes Houses and People". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  18. ^ Morrow, Pat (20 January 1967). "Retired Teacher Refurbishes Houses and People". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  19. ^ "UD Names Computer Science Building to Honor First African American Woman Graduate". University of Dayton. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  20. ^ Kappell, Jean (5 August 1973). "She Fights for Human Rights". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  21. ^ Gauder, Heidi; Waldron, Caroline. "'The Considerable Number of Students': A Response to W.E.B. Du Bois". University Libraries. University of Dayton. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  22. ^ Haney, Angelle (9 February 2016). "Airman Survived 11 Months as POW". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  23. ^ "Lt. Lloyd "Scotty" Hathcock". National Museum of the United States Air Force.
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