Carrie Halsell Ward
{{Short description|First African-American student to graduate from an Oregon public university.(1926)}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Carrie Halsell Ward.png
| alt = Headshot of Carrie Halsell in her graduation regalia (Oregon State University)
| name = Carrie Halsell Ward
| birth_name = Carrie Beatrice Halsell Ward
| birth_date = October 26, 1903
| birth_place = Boulder, Colorado, US
| death_date = {{death date and age|1989|07|01|1903|11|26}}
| death_place = Orangeburg, South Carolina, US
| alma_mater = {{unbulleted list|Oregon State University (BSc)
|New York University (MBA) }}
| occupation = University business instructor
| known_for = First Black student to graduate from an Oregon public university.
}}
Carrie Beatrice Halsell Ward (1903–1989) is the first African American to graduate from an Oregon public university.{{Cite news|url=http://photohistory.oregonstate.edu/works/untold-stories-guide/carrie-halsell-osus-first-african-american-graduate|title=Untold Stories Guide: Carrie Halsell, OSU's First African American Graduate|work=Untold Stories Guide|access-date=2018-09-10|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu|title=The Advocate|date=August 13, 1927|access-date=January 31, 2020|page=1}} She graduated in 1926, with a Bachelor of Science in Business from Oregon State University.
Early life
Halsell was born on October 26, 1903, in Boulder, Colorado to William and Bessie Halsell, the third of six children.{{Cite book|title=Untold Stories: Histories of students of color at Oregon State University|publisher=Oregon State University Libraries and Press|year=2013|url=http://www.orww.org/Alberta_Street_Project/2015_Report/10_References/Arnet_et_al_20131000.pdf|pages=10–11}}{{Cite book|title=Perseverance|publisher=Oregon Northwest Black Pioneers|year=2011|isbn=9781450748780|location=Salem, Oregon|pages=150–158}} The family moved to Salem, Oregon around 1912 where William worked various jobs, including: janitor, laborer, and farmer. By 1921, William was supporting the family with a small retail business on State Street in Salem.
In high school, Halsell was an honor student and participated in the glee club, girls' club, girls' reserve, commercial club, and typewriting contests. She received her high school diploma from Salem High School in 1921.
After high school, Halsell was accepted to Oregon State University, where she received her business degree in 1926. After graduating, she and her family moved to Portland where she worked briefly in a housekeeping position for Meier & Frank Department Store. The job, she said, was one of the few employment opportunities for an African-American woman in the area. Halsell quickly became a popular figure in Portland's African-American community. Portland's African-American community newspaper, The Advocate, printed a brief story about Halsell's return visit to Corvallis in July of 1927.{{Cite news|url=https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu|title=The Advocate|date=July 2, 1927|access-date=January 31, 2020}}
Career
In September 1927, Halsell took a position at Virginia State University, as an assistant to the registrar, and later as an instructor in business. While working at Virginia State, she helped establish the Alpha Eta chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, a historic black sorority.
In 1945 Halsell took a position at South Carolina State University. She obtained her master's in business administration from New York University in 1949 while attending summer classes.File:Halsell Hall residence hall at Oregon State University.jpeg
Personal life
Legacy
In 2002 Oregon State University named a residence hall in her honor. In 2016 Salem High School posthumously gave her an achievement award as the first African American to graduate from Salem High School.{{Cite web|url=http://northsalemvikingassociation.techismylife.com/biographies/carrie-halsell-2016-achievement-award/|title=North Salem Viking Alumni and Friends Association|date=February 4, 2017}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{commons category-inline}}
- [http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv99114 Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center Records, 1966-2011]
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Category:People from Boulder, Colorado
Category:People from Salem, Oregon
Category:Oregon State University alumni
Category:New York University alumni
Category:20th-century African-American people
Category:African-American history of Oregon
Category:African-American history in Portland, Oregon