Overview of the Item |
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| Repository: | The HistoryMakers | |
| 1900 S. Michigan Avenue | ||
| Chicago, Illinois 60616 | ||
| (312) 674-1900 | ||
| info@thehistorymakers.com | ||
| http://www.thehistorymakers.com | ||
| Interviewer: | Larry Crowe | |
| Videographer: | Scott Stearns | |
| Title: | Video Oral History Interview with Katie Booth | |
| Dates: | November 13, 2002 | |
| Abstract: | (ABSTRACT) | |
| Quantity: | 4 Betacam SP videocassettes, 1 half-Hollinger box containing (NUMBER) folders of accompanying materials. | |
| Identification: | A2002.204 | |
| Language: | The interviews and records are in English | |
Civic activist and biomedical chemist Katie Booth looked out for her community throughout her long life. Born on May 23, 1907, in Gulfport, Mississippi, Booth developed an early passion for chemistry but had access to few resources to pursue her interest growing up in Mississippi. In 1929, Booth was part of the first class of blacks to graduate from high school in her hometown, receiving her degree from the Gulfport School for Coloreds. Later that year she moved to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to work for the Presbyterian Board of Education. She also received a scholarship to study at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she earned a basic education degree in 1940.
At the outbreak of World War II, Booth moved north to Chicago to work in the war industry. She took a job as a chemist at Doeh-Jarvis, a die casting company, and also took classes at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where she received a degree in industrial chemistry after the war. From there, Booth took a job in the Department of Pharmacology at the Chicago Medical School, researching preventative health measures. Few women worked in chemistry at the time, making Booth a trailblazer in her field. She was keenly interested in children's health and prenatal care, and also worked on treatments for sickle cell anemia.
In the 1970s, Booth finally retired from chemistry, but remained an active civic leader on Chicago's West Side. Since the 1940s, she served as chairperson of the West Side YWCA, and held the position until after her professional retirement. Booth was also one of the first members of the Chicago Housing Board's West Side District, and served as chairperson of the board of Sears Roebuck for the West Side area. In the 1960s, Booth worked with Operation PUSH and cautioned civil rights leaders against fragmenting following Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s death. During the 1980s, Booth helped a voter registration drive that led to the election of Harold Washington, Chicago's first black mayor.
In the 1990s, Booth returned home to Magnolia Grove, the subdivision of Gulfport where she had been an original resident. Staying active into her nineties, Booth worked to expand the Magnolia Grove Community Center and its children's programming. In recognition of her work, the facility was renamed the Katie Patterson Booth Community Center in May 2003.
Katie Booth was married during World War II to Robert Booth. Eight years later he died from his war injuries. They had no children.
Biographical Note by The HistoryMakers®
This life oral history interview with Katie Booth was conducted by Larry Crowe on 2002-11-13 in Gulfport, Mississippi and is recorded on 4 30-minute Betacam SP videocassettes. Access copies exist on Betacam SP, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1. The interview contains information on (COMPLETE ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION OF INTERVIEW). Accompanying materials in the collection include Katie Booth's correspondence with The HistoryMakers® related to the interview; a copy of the signed release form and the production report; the biographical information used by the interviewer to prepare for the interview (DETAILS); paper copies of the interview transcripts, 3 1/2" floppy disks with electronic copies of the transcripts; selected quotes for video clips; photocopies of photographs captured on video; XML files with metadata created in editing and cataloguing the interview for The HistoryMakers Digital Video Library; and paper copies of these XML files.
Access to paper records is restricted. Other restrictions may be applied on a case-by-case basis.
All use of materials must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers® and appropriate credit must be given. All use credits must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers®. Copyright is held by The HistoryMakers®.
Index Terms |
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| This record series is indexed under the following controlled access terms. | ||
| Contributors: | ||
| Booth, Katie | ||
| Crowe, Larry | ||
| Stearns, Scott | ||
| Persons: | ||
| (PERSONS) | ||
| Corporate Bodies: | ||
| (CORPORATE BODIES) | ||
| Family Names: | ||
| Booth | ||
| Places: | ||
| (PLACES) | ||
| Subjects: | ||
| (SUBJECTS) | ||
| Document Types: | ||
| Video oral history interview | ||
| Titles: | ||
| The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Katie Booth | ||
Accompanying materials: Accompanying materials are filed in (NUMBER) folders in a half-Hollinger box and shelved at The HistoryMakers® Archives and Collection Library by accession number, separately from the videos.
Betacam, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1 access copies are held for in-house use at The HistoryMakers®; Betacam SP, VHS and DVD playback hardware is provided for in-house viewing of the access copies; MPEG-1 copies are searchable and viewable via a digital video database.
The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Katie Booth, November 13, 2002. The HistoryMakers® African American Video Oral History Collection, 1900 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois.