Ada M. DeBlanc-Yerwood: Difference between revisions
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'''Ada Marie DeBlanc-Yerwood''' was an African American student at Iowa State College. | '''Ada Marie DeBlanc-Yerwood Simond''' (1903-1989) was an African American student at Iowa State College. | ||
== Life and Education == | == Life and Education == | ||
Ada DeBlanc was born on November 14, 1903 in Iberia Parish, Louisiana. Her family was descended from an eighteenth century French explorer, Louis Juchereau de St. Denis. Her parents were illiterate Creoles who spoke a dialect of French patois. Her family was farmers who grew soybeans, sugarcane and rice. In 1914, her family relocated to Austin, Texas due to several years of poor farm production. While in Austin, DeBlanc's father worked in a drugstore and her mother worked as a seamstress. Since DeBlanc was a teenager, she worked as a housekeeper and was the caretaker of her younger siblings. | |||
Ada DeBlanc, with the help of friends, was able to take the equivalency tests necessary to earn diplomas from the college preparatory and business departments. After working as a secretary at Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College, she married Aubrey Askey and had three children. They divorced in 1927. | |||
In 1929, Ada DeBlanc married Dr. Charles Yerwood. Against her husband's wishes, she decided to return to school. She worked as a secretary at Tillotson College in exchange for free tuition. In 1934, she received a B.S. in Family Life Education. She, then, went on to Iowa State College where she earned an M.S. Home Economics Education and an M.S. Child Development in 1936. Her thesis was titled: “Certain Housing Conditions and Activities of Negro Girls enrolled in Federally-Aided Schools in Texas as One Index of Their Educational Needs”. | |||
Charles Yerwood died in 1940. Ada had previously been inspired by him to work in public health so, in 1942, she became a public health representative for Texas Tuberculosis Association. She served in that role for 25 years. | |||
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== References == | == References == | ||
[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fsi63] | [https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fsi63 Texas State Historical Association] | ||
Revision as of 20:05, 4 May 2018
Ada Marie DeBlanc-Yerwood Simond (1903-1989) was an African American student at Iowa State College.
Life and Education
Ada DeBlanc was born on November 14, 1903 in Iberia Parish, Louisiana. Her family was descended from an eighteenth century French explorer, Louis Juchereau de St. Denis. Her parents were illiterate Creoles who spoke a dialect of French patois. Her family was farmers who grew soybeans, sugarcane and rice. In 1914, her family relocated to Austin, Texas due to several years of poor farm production. While in Austin, DeBlanc's father worked in a drugstore and her mother worked as a seamstress. Since DeBlanc was a teenager, she worked as a housekeeper and was the caretaker of her younger siblings.
Ada DeBlanc, with the help of friends, was able to take the equivalency tests necessary to earn diplomas from the college preparatory and business departments. After working as a secretary at Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College, she married Aubrey Askey and had three children. They divorced in 1927.
In 1929, Ada DeBlanc married Dr. Charles Yerwood. Against her husband's wishes, she decided to return to school. She worked as a secretary at Tillotson College in exchange for free tuition. In 1934, she received a B.S. in Family Life Education. She, then, went on to Iowa State College where she earned an M.S. Home Economics Education and an M.S. Child Development in 1936. Her thesis was titled: “Certain Housing Conditions and Activities of Negro Girls enrolled in Federally-Aided Schools in Texas as One Index of Their Educational Needs”.
Charles Yerwood died in 1940. Ada had previously been inspired by him to work in public health so, in 1942, she became a public health representative for Texas Tuberculosis Association. She served in that role for 25 years.
HBCU Contribution
Head of Home Economics at Tillotson College
Legacy
- Wrote children's books for gifted children
- Co-founder of the W.H. Passon Historical Society (for Austin's black community's history)
- Co-founder of the George Washington Carver Museum
- Inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame