Alfreda Johnson Webb

Alfreda Johnson Webb (b. February 21, 1923 in Mobile, Alabama) was a professor of biology and a doctor of veterinary medicine. She was the first black woman licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the United States.

Alfreda Johnson Webb
Born(1923-02-21)February 21, 1923
Mobile, Alabama
Died14 October 1992(1992-10-14) (aged 69)
Alma mater
Known for

Early life and education

Webb was born February 21, 1923 in Mobile, Alabama, to Cattie Lee Avant Johnson, and Bibb Garden Johnson. She earned a BS from Tuskegee Institute in 1943 and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) in 1949 from the Tuskegee Institute (now University) School of Veterinary Medicine.[1] Webb was the first of two African American women to graduate from a school of veterinary medicine in the United States in 1949.[2][3] She then took Faculty Study Leave from Tuskegee to earn a master's degree (M.S. in Anatomy) from Michigan State University in 1950.[4]

Professional veterinary positions

She began her career as an instructor in anatomy at Tuskegee in 1950 and remained there until 1959 rising to the rank of associate professor. She then moved to Greensboro, North Carolina and became professor of biology at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (NC A&T) from 1959-1978 and professor/coordinator of Laboratory Animal Science from 1977 until her retirement. Her research areas included histology, cytology and embryology.

During her time at NC A&T in the late 1970s, Webb served on the planning committee for the school of veterinary medicine for North Carolina which was founded at North Carolina State University in 1981.[5]

Political and government positions

Webb served in several positions in the Democratic Party in North Carolina. Webb was the first African-American woman in the North Carolina General Assembly in 1972 after her appointment in 1971 by Governor Robert W. Scott.[6] She lost a bid for a full term in the Assembly in 1972.[7] In the Who’s Who in American Politics (17th ed, 1999)[8] she is listed as Member at Large, Democratic National Committee, North Carolina on which she served from 1972-1980.[7] Formerly she served as Chairman of Minority Affairs for the North Carolina State Democratic Executive Committee, delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1976, and president of Democratic Women of North Carolina.[9] She also served on the North Carolina Council on Sickle Cell Syndrome.[10] and the Board of the NC Center for Public Policy Research. She retired from the position of state minority representative in 1978 to run for the state House in Guilford County.[11]

The General Assembly of North Carolina ratified a Senate joint resolution on March 4, 2013 to honor the life and memory of Webb and other African American legislators.[12]

Family life

Alfreda Webb was married to agronomist Dr. Burleigh Webb and they had three children, two sons and one daughter.[13] She died at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital after a battle with breast cancer on October 14, 1992.[14][7]

Honors and awards

In 1949, Webb became the first black member of the Women's Veterinary Association.[15] Webb was a member of the American Association of Veterinary Anatomists, Sigma Xi, the Hayes-Taylor YMCA, and the Gamma Sigma Delta Honorary Society.[7] She received the Alpha Kappa Alpha Award for Political Excellence and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Tuskegee University in 1972. She was inducted into the NC A&T Agriculture Hall of Fame in 1999.[16]

In 2016, the North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine established a $50,000 endowed Dr. Alfreda Johnson Webb Scholarship Award to cover educational expenses for two students from under-represented groups.[17] The endowment was established by gifts from the North Carolina Minority Veterinarians Association and matched funds from the R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation.[17]

The North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine, which sorts its faculty, staff, and students into four houses to support college well-being, has a house named after Webb.[18] House Webb has a dog on its crest to emphasize Webb's commitment to companion and lab animals and has the motto fairness, equity, and justice. [18]

References
  1. American Men & Women of Science: A biographical directory of today's leaders in physical, biological and related sciences. 19th edition. New Providence, NJ: R.R. Bowker, 1994. p. 579.
  2. Nolen, R. Scott. Tuskegee's diversity legacy continues today. JAVMA News, February 15, 2010. https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/100215b.aspx
  3. Adams, E. W. The Legacy: A History of The Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine. Tuskegee, AL: Tuskegee University Media Center Press, 1995. Pg. 29
  4. Adams, E. W. The Legacy: A History of The Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine. Tuskegee, AL: Tuskegee University Media Center Press, 1995. Pg. 39
  5. , Curtin, T. The College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University : a personal perspective of its founding. Raleigh, N.C. : North Carolina Veterinary Medical Foundation, 2010. http://d.lib.ncsu.edu/collections/catalog/ua145_001-curtin-cvm-history
  6. Hairston, Otis L. Greensboro North Carolina. Arcadia Publishing, 2003.
  7. Reports, From Staff. "FUNERAL SATURDAY / TEACHER, LEGISLATOR DIES; WAS DYNAMIC' PIONEER". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  8. Who's Who in American Politics. 17th edition, 1999-2000. New Providence, NJ: Marquis Who's Who, 1999. p. 1667.
  9. "Special report: A celebration of women's suffrage on its 99th anniversary". NC Policy Watch. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  10. Women in Public Office. A biographical directory and statistical analysis. First edition. Compiled by Center for the American Woman and Politics. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1976. p. 259.
  11. Associated Press. Democrats to recruit minorities. The Dispatch (Lexington, NC), Feb. 22, 1978. V. 96, n. 252, p. 1.
  12. "Senate Joint Resolution 133". www.ncleg.net. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  13. Adams, E. W. The Legacy: A History of The Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine. Tuskegee, AL: Tuskegee University Media Center Press, 1995. Pg. 237. (see also information on p. 29 and 39)
  14. "Celebrating Black History Month". Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  15. "Women's organization nurtured, influenced". American Veterinary Medical Association. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  16. "Agriculture Hall of Fame". www.ncat.edu. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  17. "Dr. Alfreda Johnson Webb Endowed Scholarship Announced". NC State Veterinary Medicine. 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  18. "Student Life - CVM House System". NC State Veterinary Medicine. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
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