Gladys Tignor Peterson Explained

Gladys Tignor Peterson
Birth Date:July 11, 1898
Birth Place:Washington, D.C.
Death Date:May 1985
Occupation:Educator

Gladys E. Tignor Peterson (July 11, 1898 – May 1985) was an American educator. She worked as a teacher, principal, and administrator in the Washington, D.C. schools for over forty years, until she retired in 1962.

Early life and education

Tignor was born in Washington,[1] the daughter of Dr. William L. Tignor.[2] She came from a family of professionals. Her father and uncle were medical doctors,[3] and two other uncles were lawyers.[4] Her aunt Sadie Tignor Henson was a truant officer and labor organizer in Washington, D.C. who worked closely with Nannie Helen Burroughs.[5] [6] Her younger half-brother Madison W. Tignor was an educator in Washington.[7]

Tignor trained as a teacher at Miner Normal School and graduated from Howard University School of Law (HUSL) in 1922.[8] She was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.[9] In 1920 she was a founding member of Epsilon Sigma Iota, an organization for HUSL's women graduates,[10] along with Bertha C. McNeill, Lillian Skinker, and Zephyr Moore.[11] [12] [13] She completed a master's degree at Howard University in 1934, and doctoral studies in education at Teachers College, Columbia University in 1949.[14] She was described in later reports as "the first Negro woman to receive a doctoral degree in secondary school administration from Columbia University."[15]

Career

Peterson was the principal of Randall Junior High School in the 1940s.[16] [17] [18] In 1949, she became assistant to Garnet C. Wilkinson and his successor, Harold A. Haynes, assistant Superintendents of Schools in Washington, D.C.[19] She spoke at a United Community Services conference in 1950,[20] and reviewed entries in a drill contest held at Dunbar High School. In 1952 she applied for the position of Associate Superintendent of Negro Vocational and Junior High Schools in the Washington public school system, at which time she gave her credentials including her law degree and doctorate, "a total of 33½ years experience in the school system", as a teacher, principal, and administrator.[21] In 1955, she spoke on a panel about education at Howard University.[22] In 1958, after the district's schools began desegregation, she became assistant to Lawson J. Cantrell, deputy superintendent for school management and supervision.[23] In 1960, she became executive assistant to the Superintendent of Schools Carl F. Hansen.[24] She retired from school administration work in 1962. In retirement, she became a member of the District of Columbia's Citizens Advisory Unit.[25]

Publications

Peterson's writing on education policy appeared in scholarly journals including The Journal of Negro Education and Teachers College Record. She also contributed an article about Lucy Ella Moten to the biographical dictionary Notable American Women, 1607 to 1950.[26]

Personal life

Tignor married her Howard University law school classmate George W. Peterson in 1921.[31] [32] She died in 1985, at the age of 86.[33]

Notes and References

  1. News: June 15, 1949 . Columbia Confers Education Degree on Mrs. Peterson . 6 . The Washington Post . February 7, 2023 . Internet Archive.
  2. News: 1939-11-14 . Dr. William L. Tignor (death notice) . 10 . Evening Star . 2023-02-07 . Newspapers.com.
  3. News: July 25, 1936 . Dr. Tignor Wills Home to Son, 12, and Cash to Kin . 14 . Baltimore Afro American . February 7, 2023 . NewspaperArchive.com.
  4. News: August 1, 1936 . Med. Inspector Tignor Passes . 4 . Indianapolis Recorder . February 7, 2023 . Hoosier State Chronicles.
  5. Popp . Veronica . Phillips-Cunningham . Danielle . 2021 . Nannie Helen Burroughs and the Descendants of Miriam: Rewriting Nannie Helen Burroughs into First Wave Feminism . Gender Forum . 79 . 70-71, note 23.
  6. Book: Murphy, Mary-Elizabeth B. . Jim Crow Capital: Women and Black Freedom Struggles in Washington, D.C., 1920–1945 . 2018-09-28 . UNC Press Books . 978-1-4696-4673-2 . 26 . en.
  7. News: 1997-10-31 . Obituary for Madison W. Tignor . 11 . The Kokomo Tribune . 2023-02-07 . Newspapers.com.
  8. News: 1922-06-10 . Howard Degrees and Prizes Given; 17 Students of Univ ROTC Win Commissions . 28 . Evening Star . 2023-02-07 . Newspapers.com.
  9. Web site: Peterson, Gladys Tignor . 2023-02-07 . AKA's Pioneering Sorors Open Doors . en-GB.
  10. News: January 5, 1927 . Colored Portias Honored at Dinner . n8 . The Washington Post . February 7, 2023 . Internet Archive.
  11. Web site: Epsilon Sigma Iota . 2023-02-07 . Howard University School of Law.
  12. Book: Smith, J. Clay Jr. . Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944 . 1999 . University of Pennsylvania Press . 978-0-8122-1685-1 . 85, note 225 . en.
  13. Book: Smith, John Clay . Rebels in Law: Voices in History of Black Women Lawyers . 2000 . University of Michigan Press . 978-0-472-08646-7 . 268–269 . en.
  14. Book: Columbia University . Catalogue . 1897 . New York . Columbia University Libraries . 293 . Internet Archive.
  15. News: 1962-07-06 . Mrs. Peterson to End Lengthy School Service . 23 . Evening Star . 2023-02-08 . Newspapers.com.
  16. News: 1942-11-30 . Veteran Teacher to Retire after 50 Years' Service . 31 . Evening Star . 2023-02-07 . Newspapers.com.
  17. News: 1943-10-14 . 52 District Schools Enroll for Paper Salvage Campaign . 24 . Evening Star . 2023-02-07 . Newspapers.com.
  18. News: 1948-06-02 . Board Backs Principal in Ban on Bakery Visit During Lunch Hour . 9 . Evening Star . 2023-02-08 . Newspapers.com.
  19. News: 1950-04-21 . Vocational High Girls Win Drill Contest . 16 . Evening Star . 2023-02-07 . Newspapers.com.
  20. News: 1950-05-21 . 1,100 to Attend UCS Conference Here Tomorrow . 21 . Evening Star . 2023-02-07 . Newspapers.com.
  21. News: September 17, 1952 . School Board to Name Aide for Negroes . 21 . The Washington Post . February 7, 2023 . Internet Archive.
  22. News: November 18, 1955 . Howard University School Discussion Set . 71 . The Washington Post . February 7, 2023 . Internet Archive.
  23. News: Knoll . Erwin . July 26, 1958 . Koontz Named Head of New Streamlined High School System . 46 . The Washington Post . February 7, 2023 . Internet Archive.
  24. News: Bowie . Carole . June 23, 1960 . 3 Track System Due for Review . 24 . The Washington Post . February 7, 2023 . Internet Archive.
  25. News: Pierce . Charles D. . 1962-12-04 . D. C. Citizens Advisory Unit Reorganized; 17 Members Added to Group Aiding . 25 . Evening Star . 2023-02-08 . Newspapers.com.
  26. Book: James . Edward T. . Notable American women, 1607-1950; a biographical dictionary . James . Janet Wilson . Boyer . Paul S. . Radcliffe College . 1971 . Cambridge, Mass., Belknap Press of Harvard University Press . Internet Archive . 978-0-674-62731-4 . 591–592 . Internet Archive.
  27. Peterson . Gladys Tignor . July 1935 . The Present Status of the Negro Separate School as Defined by Court Decisions . The Journal of Negro Education . 4 . 3 . 351–374 . 10.2307/2291873 . 2291873 . 0022-2984.
  28. Peterson . Gladys Tignor . Risen . Maurice L. . October 1935 . Legal Aspects of Separation of Races in the Public Schools. . The Journal of Negro Education . 4 . 4 . 560 . 10.2307/2291859. 2291859 .
  29. News: Peterson . Gladys T. . 1946-12-24 . More on Segregation Issue . 6 . Evening Star . 2023-02-07 . Newspapers.com.
  30. Peterson . Gladys Tignor . November 1950 . The Improvement of Instruction at the Eliza Randall Junior High School 1 . Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education . en . 52 . 2 . 1 . 10.1177/016146815005200209 . 246489239 . 0161-4681.
  31. News: 1951-10-02 . G. W. Peterson Joins OPS Staff in District . 47 . Evening Star . 2023-02-08 . Newspapers.com.
  32. Index of District of Columbia Marriages, 1811-1950; via LDS Family Search.
  33. Social Security Death Index, via Ancestry.

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