OKLAHOMA CITY — People are remembering Dr. Olivia J. Hooker, the first black woman in U.S. Coast Guard and the last known survivor of the Tulsa Race Riot, who died Wednesday at the age of 103.
According to a U.S. Coast Guard blog, Hooker was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1915. She was 6 years old when the Klu Klux Klan burned her father's clothing store in the 1921 Tulsa Race Riots. Hooker and her siblings hid in their home while it was ransacked by rioters.
Hooker earned a bachelor's degree in education before becoming the first African-American woman to join the U.S. Coast Guard SPARs in 1945. She served until the SPARs were disbanded in mid-1946.
On behalf of the men and women of the #USCG, we extend our sincere condolences to the family of Dr. Olivia Hooker, who passed away today at 103. In 1945, she was the first African-American female to enlist in the #USCG. Read more about Dr. Hooker's life: https://t.co/akF1GEGE4y https://t.co/5G9vwbc0Cy
— U.S. Coast Guard (@USCG) November 21, 2018
Hooker then earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in psychology. She became a psychologist, professor and member of the Kennedy Child Study Center in the Bronx before retiring in 2002, at the age of 87, according to the blog.
Throughout her life, Hooker had been a leader in civic, cultural and educational organizations, Fox23.com reported.
In July, Hooker was interviewed for a five-part series called "Greenwood Avenue," which is sponsored by Google, Fox23.com reported.
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