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Pauline Oberdorfer Minor (c. 1885 – January 23, 1963) was an American teacher, singer and composer who was one of the 22 founders of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
At Howard, Oberdorfer along with 22 fellow students, co-founded the Delta Sigma Theta sorority on January 13, 1913. She served as the first treasurer of the Alpha Chapter. She served as president of the Teacher's Club at Howard for one year and her achievements were noted in the NAACP's ''
In 2015, a monument to Oberdorfer Minor was erected in Eden Cemetery by the Philadelphia Alumnae chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
A scholarship at the Philadelphia High School for Girls and a college internship in Charlottesville, Virginia were established in her name.
Biography
Pauline Oberdorfer was born around 1885 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her mother worked as a washerwoman. Oberdorfer was sent to further her education inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
and was raised by an aunt and uncle. She did not know her parents nor her exact date of birth.
In 1910, she graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls
The Philadelphia High School for Girls, also known as Girls' High, is a public college preparatory magnet high school for girls in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As its name suggests, the school's enrollment is all female.
Established in 1848, it ...
. She was a member of the Union Baptist Church in Philadelphia, sang in the choir and through the influence of Lewis B. Moore, the dean of the Howard Teacher's College, obtained a church scholarship to attend Howard University
Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...
.
At Howard, Oberdorfer along with 22 fellow students, co-founded the Delta Sigma Theta sorority on January 13, 1913. She served as the first treasurer of the Alpha Chapter. She served as president of the Teacher's Club at Howard for one year and her achievements were noted in the NAACP's ''Crisis
A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
'' magazine edited by W.E.B. DuBois. After graduating as valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...
of the class of 1914, she pursued a teaching career in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
and South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
.
Oberdorfer also embarked on a career as a mezzo-soprano recitalist and composer of spirituals. Her book, ''Soul Echoes'' featured forty of her compositions including "''Get Off the Judgment Seat''" and "''My Lord Is a Refuge''".
She married a Mr. Minor, but they divorced. Oberdorfer Minor died on January 23, 1963. She was working as a housekeeper when she died and was interred in a pauper's grave
A potter's field, paupers' grave or common grave is a place for the burial of unknown, unclaimed or indigent people. "Potter's field" is of Biblical origin, referring to Akeldama (meaning ''field of blood'' in Aramaic), stated to have been p ...
alongside three other people in Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania
Collingdale is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The population was 8,908, at the 2020 census.
Local governance
Donna Matteo-Spadea is the current mayor of Collingdale.
Frank Kelly served twelve consecutive four-year terms as Mayor of ...
.
Legacy
In 2015, a monument to Oberdorfer Minor was erected in Eden Cemetery by the Philadelphia Alumnae chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
A scholarship at the Philadelphia High School for Girls and a college internship in Charlottesville, Virginia were established in her name.
References
Citations Sources * {{DEFAULTSORT:Minor, Pauline Oberdorfer 1880s births 1963 deaths 20th-century African-American educators 20th-century American educators 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American singers American mezzo-sopranos American women educators Burials at Eden Cemetery (Collingdale, Pennsylvania) Date of birth unknown Delta Sigma Theta founders Delta Sigma Theta members Educators from Virginia People from Charlottesville, Virginia Philadelphia High School for Girls alumni Year of birth uncertain 20th-century American composers African-American composers American women composers Singers from Philadelphia Musicians from Charlottesville, Virginia African-American schoolteachers Schoolteachers from Pennsylvania African-American women composers