Zelma Watson George
Encyclopedia
Zelma Watson George is a well known African American philanthropist who is famous for being an alternate in the United Nations
General Assembly and, as a headliner in Gian-Carlo Menotti's opera The Medium
, the first African-American to play a role that was typically played by a Caucasian actress.
on December 8, 1903. Her father was a Baptist
minister, which caused them to move frequently. In 1917 the family moved to Topeka, Kansas
from Dallas, Texas because the white citizens of Dallas did not approve of Samuel E.J. Watson assisting African-American prisoners.
George enrolled at the University of Chicago
and obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology
in 1924. She then went on to Northwestern University
and studied the pipe organ from 1924 until 1926, and in 1925 enrolled as a voice student at the American Conservatory of Music
in Chicago
until 1927.
In 1943, George received her Master's Degree in Personnel Administration from New York University
as well as her Ph.D in Sociology in 1954. Her doctoral dissertation, A Guide to Negro Music: Towards a Sociology of Negro Music, which catalogued abut 12,000 musical compositions written or enthused by African Americans, due to her extraordinary work, allowed her to receive honorary doctorates from Heidelberg College and Baldwin Wallace College in 1961 as well as Cleveland State University
in 1974.
. The couple had no children.
at the Karamu Theater
in Cleveland and the Edison Theatre
in New York City
. Following her debut, George was honored with the Merit Award of the National Association of Negro Musicians. She later went on to be cast in Gian-Carlo Menotti's The Consul
and Kurt Weill
's The Three Penny Opera.
. George was a long-time member of Alpha Kappa Alpha
sorority.
She was an alternate delegate to the United Nations
General Assembly from 1960 until 1961. President Richard Nixon
named her to be a part of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
in 1971. She received numerous awards for her accomplishments, including the Dag Hammarskjöld Award in 1961, the Dahlberg Peace Award in 1963, and the Mary Bethune Gold Medallion in 1973. She was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame
in 1983.
. Following her retirement, she then went on to teaching classes at Cuyahoga Community College
in the Elders program. Zelma Watson George died in Shaker Heights, Ohio
on July 3, 1994 leaving behind a rich legacy of achievements, and a sincere concern for the improvement of the world in which we live. Today, there is a community center in Cleveland, Ohio
named in her honor.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
General Assembly and, as a headliner in Gian-Carlo Menotti's opera The Medium
The Medium
The Medium is a short two-act dramatic opera with words and music by Gian Carlo Menotti. Commissioned by Columbia University, its first performance was there on 8 May 1946. The opera's first professional production was presented on a double bill with Menotti's The Telephone at the Heckscher...
, the first African-American to play a role that was typically played by a Caucasian actress.
Early life
Zelma Watson was born to Samuel E.J. and Lena (Thomas) Watson in Hearne, TexasHearne, Texas
Hearne is a city in Robertson County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,690 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area...
on December 8, 1903. Her father was a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister, which caused them to move frequently. In 1917 the family moved to Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
from Dallas, Texas because the white citizens of Dallas did not approve of Samuel E.J. Watson assisting African-American prisoners.
Education
After graduating from Topeka Public SchoolsTopeka Public Schools
Topeka Public Schools is an Inner city School District serving the City of Topeka. It is one of four school districts that serve the city of Topeka, the capital city of Kansas...
George enrolled at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
in 1924. She then went on to Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and studied the pipe organ from 1924 until 1926, and in 1925 enrolled as a voice student at the American Conservatory of Music
American Conservatory of Music
The American Conservatory of Music was a major American school of music founded in 1886 by John James Hattstaedt . The conservatory was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. It was located in Chicago until 1991 when its Board of Trustees — chaired by Frederic Wilbur Hickman...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
until 1927.
In 1943, George received her Master's Degree in Personnel Administration from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
as well as her Ph.D in Sociology in 1954. Her doctoral dissertation, A Guide to Negro Music: Towards a Sociology of Negro Music, which catalogued abut 12,000 musical compositions written or enthused by African Americans, due to her extraordinary work, allowed her to receive honorary doctorates from Heidelberg College and Baldwin Wallace College in 1961 as well as Cleveland State University
Cleveland State University
Cleveland State University is a public university located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 when the state of Ohio assumed control of Fenn College, and it absorbed the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1969...
in 1974.
Personal life
Zelma married Baxter Duke in 1937. They were divorced in 1942. In 1944, she married attorney Clayborne George of OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The couple had no children.
Musical Accomplishments
George received a Rockefeller foundation grant to study African American Music. After completing her study, she wrote the musical drama Chariot's A'Comin!, which was locally aired on television in Cleveland in 1949. Zelma Watson George then went on to be cast as the first African American woman to act in a typically White role in Gian-Carlo Menotti's opera The MediumThe Medium
The Medium is a short two-act dramatic opera with words and music by Gian Carlo Menotti. Commissioned by Columbia University, its first performance was there on 8 May 1946. The opera's first professional production was presented on a double bill with Menotti's The Telephone at the Heckscher...
at the Karamu Theater
Karamu House
Karamu House in the Fairfax neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio, is the oldest African-American theater in the United States. Many of Langston Hughes's plays were developed and premièred at the theater.-History:...
in Cleveland and the Edison Theatre
Edison Theatre
The Edison Theatre was a legitimate Broadway theatre located in the Edison Hotel at 240 West 47th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Officially a 499-seat Broadway house, the Edison Theater actually had 541 seats....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Following her debut, George was honored with the Merit Award of the National Association of Negro Musicians. She later went on to be cast in Gian-Carlo Menotti's The Consul
The Consul
The Consul is an opera in three acts with music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti, his first full-length opera. Its first performance was on March 1, 1950, at the Shubert Theatre in Philadelphia with Patricia Neway as the lead heroine Magda Sorel, Gloria Lane as the secretary of the consulate,...
and Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
's The Three Penny Opera.
Political and Philanthropy Accomplishments
In the 1950s George was an advisor to President Dwight Eisenhower's Administration. She was involved with various national government committees, which usually concerned women, youth, and African Americans. She was a part of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Armed Forces from 1954 until 1957. From 1959-1971, George served on the executive council for the American Society of African CultureAmerican Society of African Culture
The American Society of African Culture is an organization of African American writers, artists, and scholars. The society was founded as a result of the Congress of Negro Writers and Artists in 1956. AMSAC sponsored a two-day festival in Lagos, Nigeria in 1962....
. George was a long-time member of Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...
sorority.
She was an alternate delegate to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
General Assembly from 1960 until 1961. President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
named her to be a part of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
in 1971. She received numerous awards for her accomplishments, including the Dag Hammarskjöld Award in 1961, the Dahlberg Peace Award in 1963, and the Mary Bethune Gold Medallion in 1973. She was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame
Ohio Women's Hall of Fame
The Ohio Women's Hall of Fame was founded in 1978 and has 356 members. It provides public recognition for the achievements of Ohio women that better their state, their country and their world.-See also:*National Women's Hall of Fame...
in 1983.
Later life
After her husband died, George continued to work in philanthropy and continued to give to and improve the community. From 1966 until 1974 she was the director of the Cleveland Job CorpsJob Corps
Job Corps is a program administered by the United States Department of Labor that offers free-of-charge education and vocational training to youth ages 16 to 24.-Mission and purpose:...
. Following her retirement, she then went on to teaching classes at Cuyahoga Community College
Cuyahoga Community College
Cuyahoga Community College is a two-year college in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Founded in 1962, Cuyahoga Community College is the oldest, and largest community college in Ohio with a Fall 2009 enrollment of 31,024. * http://www.tri-c.edu/news/Pages/20100823a.aspxIn August of 2010, the college reported...
in the Elders program. Zelma Watson George died in Shaker Heights, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
on July 3, 1994 leaving behind a rich legacy of achievements, and a sincere concern for the improvement of the world in which we live. Today, there is a community center in Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
named in her honor.