Dr. Olivia Hooker, last known Tulsa Race Riot survivor dies at 103

By: Chrishayla Smith

Updated: Nov 22, 2018 - 1:45 PM

TULSA, Okla. - QUICK FACTS:

• Dr. Olivia J. Hooker, last survivor of the Tulsa Race Riot died Wednesday at the age of 103.
• Hooker was the first African-American woman to join the United States Coast Guard during World War II.
• In July, FOX23 reported that Hooker told her story in a five-part film named "Greenwood Avenue."
• Hooker's funeral services will be held at the Historic Vernon AME Church at 311 Greenwood Avenue in Tulsa on Friday, November 23 at 1 p.m.
People are remembering Dr. Olivia J. Hooker, the last known survivor of the Tulsa Race Riot, who died Wednesday at the age of 103.

According to a U.S. Coast Guard blog, Hooker was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1915. She was 6 years old when the Klu Klux Klan burned her father's clothing store in the 1921 Tulsa Race Riots. Hooker and her siblings hid in their home while it was ransacked by rioters.

Hooker earned a bachelor's degree in education before becoming the first African-American woman to join the United States Coast Guard SPARs in 1945. She served until the SPARs were disbanded in mid-1946.

Hooker then earned her masters degree and Ph.D. in psychology. She became a psychologist, professor and member of the Kennedy Child Study Center in the Bronx before retiring in 2002, at the age of 87, according to the blog.

Throughout her life, Hooker has been a leader in civic, cultural and educational organizations. ... In July, Hooker was interviewed for a five-part series called "Greenwood Avenue," which is sponsored by Google.