Carrie Halsell Ward
Carrie Halsell Ward | |
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| Born | Carrie Beatrice Halsell Ward October 26, 1903 Boulder, Colorado, US |
| Died | July 1, 1989 (aged 85) Orangeburg, South Carolina, US |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation | University business instructor |
| Known for | First Black student to graduate from Oregon State University |
Carrie Beatrice Halsell Ward (1903–1989) was Oregon State University's first African-American graduate.[1][2] She graduated in 1926, with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce.
Early life[edit]
Halsell was born on October 26, 1903, in Boulder, Colorado to William and Bessie Halsell, the third of six children.[3][4] The family moved to Salem, Oregon around 1912 where William worked various jobs including janitor, laborer, and farmer and by 1921 he was a shopkeeper on State Street.[4]
In high school Halsell was on the honor roll and participated in glee club, girls' club, girls' reserve, commercial club, and typewriting contests; she received her high school diploma from Salem High School in Salem, Oregon, in 1921.
After Halsell got her degree from Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University) in 1926, she moved to Portland, where her family had moved, and worked as a housekeeper for the Meier & Frank department store, one of the few employment opportunities for a black woman in the area.[4] In 1927 The Advocate newspaper printed that Halsell was vacationing in Corvallis for two weeks in July.[5]
Career[edit]
In September 1927, Halsell took a position at Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute (now Virginia State University), as a stenographer, assistant to the registrar, and later as an instructor in business.[4][2] While at Virginia Normal she was an establishing member of the Alpha Eta chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, a historic black sorority.
In 1945 Halsell took a position at South Carolina State University.[4] She obtained a Master's in Business Administration from New York University in 1949 by going to school in the summers.
Personal life[edit]
Halsell married Louis Morris Ward, a faculty member in Business Administration at South Carolina State University.[4] She died in July 1989, at the age of 85 in Orangeburg, South Carolina.[3][4]
Legacy[edit]
In 2002 Oregon State University named a residence hall in her honor.[1] In 2016 Salem High School posthumously gave her an achievement award as the first African American to graduate from Salem High School.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Untold Stories Guide: Carrie Halsell, OSU's First African American Graduate". Untold Stories Guide. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
- ^ a b "The Advocate". August 13, 1927. p. 1. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ^ a b Untold Stories: Histories of students of color at Oregon State University (PDF). Oregon State University Libraries and Press. 2013. pp. 10–11.
- ^ a b c d e f g Perseverance. Salem, Oregon: Oregon Northwest Black Pioneers. 2011. pp. 150–158. ISBN 9781450748780.
- ^ "The Advocate". July 2, 1927. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ^ "North Salem Viking Alumni and Friends Association". February 4, 2017.
External links[edit]
Media related to Carrie Halsell Ward at Wikimedia Commons- Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center Records, 1966-2011
- 1903 births
- 1989 deaths
- People from Boulder, Colorado
- People from Salem, Oregon
- Oregon State University alumni
- New York University alumni
- 20th-century African-American people
- People from Colorado
- African-American history of Oregon
- African-American history in Portland, Oregon
- Delta Sigma Theta members
- South Carolina State University faculty