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Olive Myrtle Henderson

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Olive Myrtle Henderson
Born1877
Chicago
DiedJune 14, 1957
NationalityAfrican American
OccupationDentist

Olive Myrtle Henderson (1877-1957) was the second African American woman dentist in the city of Chicago and the first African American woman to graduate with a degree in dentistry from Northwestern University.[1]

Henderson was born in Chicago in 1877. As a young woman she was a patient of Ida Gray Nelson Rollins, the first African American female dentist in the United States.[2] Ida Gray Nelson Rollins had graduated from the University of Michigan in 1890.[3] It was Henderson's experience with Ida Gray Nelson Rollins that inspired her to become a dentist. Henderson graduated from Northwestern University in 1908.[1] A little over a decade before Henderson graduated, Emma Ann Reynolds graduated as the first Black woman to receive a medical degree in 1895[4]

In 1911, Henderson married Thomas Sterling Officer. Officer had been a practicing physician in Chicago since 1906. Together they had a daughter named Mercedes.[1] In 1912 Henderson established a private practice in Chicago's South Side. She retired in 1948 after 40 active years as a dentist. She was also an active member of the National Association of Colored Women and her church St. Thomas Episcopal.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Northwestern's African American Medical and Dental Pioneers" (PDF). Galter Health Sciences Library and Learning Centre. 2020-03-07. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  2. ^ a b "Honoring the Contributions of Black Americans in Dentistry". Mortenson Dental Partners. 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  3. ^ "Women Who Inspire Us: Ida Gray Nelson Rollins | Center for Women's Health | OHSU". www.ohsu.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  4. ^ "Celebrating Black Alumni at Northwestern University". www.alumni.northwestern.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-25.