Voting Station

Olivia Hooker

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Doctor

The Resume

    (February 12, 1915-November 21, 2018)
    Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma
    Served in the United States Coast Guard’s Women’s Reserve (1945-46), rising to the rank of petty officer, second class
    Attained Masters (1947) and PhD (1961) degrees in psychology
    Worked in the mental hygiene department of Albion Correctional Facility in New York (1948-63)
    Associate professor at Fordham University (1963-85)
    Was one of the last survivors of the 1921 Tulsa race riot

Why she might be annoying:

    She originally applied to join the US Navy Women’s Reserve, but was turned down because of her race; she disputed the rejection, but by the time she was accepted, she had decided to join the Coast Guard instead.
    She hesitated telling her mother about joining the Coast Guard Reserve because ‘I thought she would fly off the handle.’
    She filed an unsuccessful federal lawsuit seeking reparations for the Tulsa race riot (2003).

Why she might not be annoying:

    During the Tulsa race riot, she and three siblings hid under a table as members of the KKK ransacked their home.
    She was the first black woman in the US Coast Guard.
    She was one of the founders of the American Psychological Association’s Division 33, dealing with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
    She volunteered for the Coast Guard Auxiliary at age 95.
    The Coast Guard broke the tradition of naming ships and buildings after deceased people to name a dining hall in Staten Island and a training facility in Washington, DC, after her during her life, noting her ‘distinguished service to the Coast Guard and her wonderful efforts in serving and helping others.’
    She served on the Tulsa Race Riot Commission, which documented the extent of city and state government involvement in the riot and in covering up the scale of destruction (1997).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 10 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 78 Votes: 48.72% Annoying