Banquet table set for an anniversary celebration of Drs. John and Vada Somerville, between 1944-1950

Title: Banquet table set for an anniversary celebration of Drs. John and Vada Somerville, between 1944-1950
Alternative title: John and Vada Somerville, couple and anniversary photographs
Photographer: Gilwee, Jim
Date Created: [between 1944-1950]
Date: 1944/1950
Collection: Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection
OpenUCLA Collections

Description: Banquet table at an anniversary celebration of Drs. John and Vada Somerville with flowers, candles, coffee urns and two cakes. This is at their home at 2401 Harvard Blvd. where the Somervilles lived from 1944 to 1950/51.
Dr. Vada Somerville (born Vada Jetmore Watson) of Pomona graduated from USC, married dentist John Alexander Somerville (1912), was the first African American woman and the second African American person to graduate from USC School of Dentistry (1918), and was the first African American woman certified to practice dentistry in the state of California. She was a civil rights activist, highly involved in several civic and community organizations.
Dr. John Somerville, born in Jamaica, was the first black graduate of USC School of Dentistry (1907). He married Vada Jetmore Watson (1912), who also became a dentist. He built the Somerville Hotel (1928), was instrumental in the founding of the Los Angeles chapter of NAACP (1914), and served on the Police Commission 1949-1953.
Caption: Photographer's stamp on back of photo: Photograph by / Jim Gilwee / Hollywood California / #640

Genre: photographs
Names: Somerville, John Alexander, 1881-1973
Somerville, Vada, 1885-1972
Subject Geographic: Los Angeles (Calif.)
Longitude: 34.036561
Latitude: -118.306518
Resource type: still image
Subjects: Wedding anniversaries
African American civil rights workers
African American businesspeople
African American dentists