Emily Brown Portwig

Emily Brown Childress Portwig (September 9, 1896 – February 4, 1960) was an American pharmacist and clubwoman based in Los Angeles, California.

Emily Brown Portwig
Born
Emily Brown

September 9, 1896
Georgia
DiedFebruary 4, 1960
Camp Pendleton
NationalityAmerican
Other namesEmily Brown Childress
OccupationPharmacist, clubwoman

Early life

Emily Brown was born in Georgia and raised in Los Angeles, the daughter of William B. Brown III and Harriet Gourdine Brown.[1] She graduated from Los Angeles High School. She attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Howard University, before pursuing graduate studies in bacteriology at the University of Southern California.[2]

Career

Portwig was a pharmacist. In 1924, Portwig founded the Rho Psi Phi medical sorority in Los Angeles.[2] She was active in the National Medical Auxiliary,[3] and the National Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Association.[4][5] At UCLA, she participated in Pilgrim House, and in the Intercultural Group of the campus's religious conference.[2] She was a committee chair for a YWCA-USO unit in Los Angeles.[6] In 1959, she served on the Los Angeles County grand jury.[7][8]

Portwig was active in the Val Verde community, "among the pioneers who worked hard for the development of Val Verde as a vacation paradise", recalled one neighbor there.[9] She worked with young women at Los Angeles High School,[10] and took groups of girls camping at her mountain cabin in Val Verde.[2] She spoke at the dedication of the swimming pool in Val Verde in 1939.[11][12] In 1957, she was won the Old Charter Distillery Company's annual award for contributions to the Val Verde community.[13]

Portwig, not herself a mother but an involved aunt,[14] took interest in supports for mothers and children in the African-American community in Los Angeles. She was active in the YWCA and the Girl Scouts. She founded the first West Coast chapter of Jack and Jill of America, an organization for African-American mothers, in Los Angeles in 1948.[15] In 1950, she co-founded the Lullaby Guild, a women's organization under the Children's Home Society, working to find foster homes for African-American children in need.[16]

Personal life and legacy

Emily Brown married real estate agent and Navy veteran James Rufus Portwig. Their home in Los Angeles was known as "The Anchor" and they hosted many social gatherings there.[17][18][19] In 1934, Emily Brown Portwig "motored east" from California to New York with her friend Hattie White Tarleton, to meet Portwig's husband when he was on leave from the Navy.[20] She died in 1960, aged 63 years, at Camp Pendleton in California.[21] Her grave is in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery.[22][23]

The Jack and Jill chapter founded by Portwig in Los Angeles marked its 70th anniversary in 2019.[24]

References
  1. "City Mourns Passing of Harriet G. Brown; Special Mass Offered". California Eagle. May 4, 1941. p. 2–A. Retrieved January 30, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
  2. Johnson, Toki Schalk (1950-10-28). "Woman of the Week". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 8. Retrieved 2020-01-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Medical Auxiliary Meets". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1951-02-24. p. 18. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  4. "NMA Confab Panels Slated". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1947-07-19. p. 11. Retrieved 2020-01-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Brown, Jessie Mae (October 9, 1947). "What's doing in the Social Set". California Eagle. p. 9. Retrieved January 29, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
  6. "Chairmen of USO-Chest Units Meet". 1954-06-19. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-01-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Mrs. Emily B. Portwig". The Los Angeles Times. 1960-02-09. p. 40. Retrieved 2020-01-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "1959 Grand Jury to Get Dismissal Tomorrow". The Los Angeles Times. 1959-12-21. p. 12. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  9. Myers, Eddie (1960-02-18). "The Signal Report on Val Verde". The Signal. p. 8. Retrieved 2020-01-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Anchorettes Do Volunteer Work for Democrats". California Eagle. June 1, 1950. p. 21. Retrieved January 29, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
  11. "Prepared Speech: Val Verde Pioneers by Emily Brown Portwig". SCVTV. April 16, 1939. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  12. "Official Program: Cornerstone Laying Ceremony, Pool & Bath House". SCVTV. April 16, 1939. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  13. Myers, Eddie (1957-09-19). "The Signal Report on Val Verde". The Signal. p. 8. Retrieved 2020-01-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Young Deb Marries in Beauty and Solemnity". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1940-03-02. p. 8. Retrieved 2020-01-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Norwood, Juliana D. (November 10, 2010). "Jack and Jill hold college fair". Our Weekly. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  16. "History of Lullaby Guild". Lullaby Guild. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  17. "Hanky Shower for Pretty Bride To-Be". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1941-04-05. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-01-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "'Angel City' Socialites Fete Local Visitors". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1935-10-19. p. 15. Retrieved 2020-01-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Anchor is Scene of Elaborate Brown-Harrison Reception". California Eagle. July 22, 1948. Retrieved January 29, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
  20. "Californians Enjoy the East". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1934-09-08. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-01-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "The Week's Census". Jet: 44. March 3, 1960.
  22. "Mrs. Portwig, Leader of Negroes, Dies". The Los Angeles Times. 1960-02-06. p. 20. Retrieved 2020-01-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. "Emily Portwig, Civil Leader, Buried Wednesday". California Eagle. February 11, 1960. p. 1, 4. Retrieved January 30, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
  24. "About Us". Jack and Jill Los Angeles Chapter. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.