ALCOAST 395/18 - NOV 2018 DEATH OF DR. OLIVIA J. HOOKER

R 261550 NOV 18
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CCG/CG-00B//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N05360//
ALCOAST 395/18
COMDTNOTE 5360
SUBJ:  DEATH OF DR. OLIVIA J. HOOKER
1. It is with great sorrow that we announce the death of Dr. Olivia J. Hooker.
Dr. Hooker, the first African-American woman to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard,
passed away on Wednesday, November 21, 2018 at the age of 103.
2. Dr. Hooker enlisted in the Coast Guard's female military corps, also known
as “Semper Paratus, Always Ready” (SPARs), in February 1945. Upon graduation
from basic training, she specialized in the yeoman rating, spending her service
time stationed at the separation center in Boston, MA. She ultimately rose to
the rank of Yeoman Second Class prior to her discharge in June 1946. She later
joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary in 2010, volunteering in Flotilla 06-08 in
Yonkers, NY.
3. After her discharge from the SPARs, she earned a master’s degree in
psychology from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in psychology from the
University of Rochester. In the early 1960s, Dr. Hooker began a career as a
psychologist and a professor of psychology at New York’s Fordham University.
She also served as a member of the Kennedy Child Study Center in the Bronx.
In 2002, she retired at the age of 87 after a long career in education and
mental health care.
4. Throughout her life, Dr. Hooker was a leader in civic, community, cultural
and educational organizations, including the NAACP, her local White Plains
Child Daycare Association and Westchester Visiting Nurse Services, and several
other organizations. She also served as a consultant on minority issues at
Fordham University and as youth counselor and certified lay speaker in the
United Methodist Church. She was a pioneer in the history of women and
minorities in the Coast Guard and the Nation. Despite experiencing hatred and
racism in her youth as a survivor of the 1921 Tulsa riots, she dedicated her
life to serving the needs of her community and her nation.
5. Dr. Hooker was truly a national treasure and her legacy has left an
indelible mark upon our Service and Nation.
6. Information regarding memorial plans, half-masting of the National Ensign
and expressions of sympathy given in memory of Dr. Hooker, will be sent SEPCOR.
7. Admiral Karl L. Schultz, Commandant, and MCPOCG Jason M. Vanderhaden, Master
Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, send.
8. Internet release is authorized.