Fiftieth wedding anniversary of Drs. John and Vada Somerville, Los Angeles, 1962

Title: Fiftieth wedding anniversary of Drs. John and Vada Somerville, Los Angeles, 1962
Alternative title: Somerville community activities (1)
Date Created: October 16, 1962
Date: 1962-10-16
Collection: Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection
OpenUCLA Collections

Description: 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.
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.
Drs. Vada (4th from left) and John Somerville (3rd from left) with four guests at their 50th golden wedding anniversary party. This is at their home at 2014 Virginia Road where the Somervilles lived from 1952 to at least 1962.

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