Jessie Scott Hathcock facts for kids
Jessie Valeria Scott Hathcock (born April 24, 1894 – died January 30, 1986) was an important American woman. She was known for helping others, teaching, and fighting for equal rights in Dayton, Ohio. In 1930, she made history by becoming the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Dayton.
Early Life and Learning
Jessie Valeria Scott was born in Worthington, Ohio. Her father was a big inspiration to her. He helped all eight of his younger brothers and sisters go to college. This showed Jessie how important education was.
She started her college studies at Otterbein University. Then, in 1914, she moved to Dayton when she married Dr. Lloyd Hathcock. In 1930, she earned her first college degree, a bachelor's degree in Education. This made her the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Dayton.
Around that time, a famous civil rights leader named W.E.B. DuBois asked the university about its African American students. The university replied that Jessie S. Hathcock was their only African American student at that time. They also mentioned that while African American students could attend night classes and law school, they were usually not allowed in day classes. This was because many students came from Southern states.
After graduating from the University of Dayton, Jessie Hathcock continued her studies. She earned her master’s degree in Guidance in 1932 from Wittenberg College (now Wittenberg University). She even started working on a Ph.D. at Ohio State University. However, she decided to stop to travel the world instead. Years later, in 1978, the University of Dayton gave her an honorary doctorate. This was a special award, and she was the first African American woman to receive it from the university.
Helping Her Community
Jessie Hathcock was a dedicated teacher and community leader. Before teaching English and being the Dean of Girls at Dunbar High School, she worked as a visiting teacher for Dayton Public Schools. She taught at Dunbar for 29 years, retiring in 1964. She even taught English briefly at Sinclair Community College in 1966, calling her students her "proteges."
While at Dunbar, Jessie Hathcock started many groups. These included the Dunbar Parent-Teacher Association, the Student Council, and the Junior Red Cross. She always encouraged her students to go to college. She even helped them pay for applications and wrote letters to colleges for them. Before she retired, she used money from her travel talks to create a scholarship for students.
Jessie Hathcock was also very active in the Dayton community. After visiting India and seeing children in need, she helped start the Dayton and Miami Valley Committee for UNICEF in 1966. Because of this, people started calling her “Mrs. Unicef.” She also worked with many other groups, like the Volunteers of America and the YWCA. She was also a founding member and first president of the Beta Eta Omega chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in 1934. Jessie was also part of the Bridgettes, a group of women who played bridge and hosted events to help the Dayton community.
Jessie Hathcock also used her community work to help with legal issues. She and the NAACP helped a man named Andrew Freeman. He had been accused of a crime and sentenced to death. They showed that his trial was unfair, and he eventually got a new trial where he was found innocent.
Awards and Recognition
Jessie Hathcock received many awards for her achievements in education and helping others. In 1963, she received the Outstanding Women's Award. In 1967, she was named one of the Ten Top Women in Dayton. She also won the City Beautiful award for fixing up an abandoned house.
To honor her, the University of Dayton started the Jessie V. Scott Hathcock Memorial scholarship in 2004. This scholarship helps African American female students who are studying education or English. In January 2021, the University of Dayton named its computer science building Jessie S. Hathcock Hall.
Her Life and Family
As a well-known person in Dayton, Jessie Hathcock used her influence to invite famous speakers and thinkers to the city. These guests included Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, and W.E.B. DuBois. She even brought DuBois to Dayton in 1940 to speak about "Democracy and the Darker Races." Jessie and DuBois wrote letters to each other for many years.
During World War II, she worked to fight against unfair treatment in the Air Force. Her son, Lt. Lloyd "Scotty" Hathcock, was a Tuskegee Airman. He was a prisoner of war for 11 months during the war.
Jessie Hathcock passed away on January 30, 1986. She is buried in Walnut Grove Cemetery in Worthington, Ohio.
She is the great-grandmother of actor and comedian Leonard Robinson.
