Ella P. Stewart

Ella Nora Phillips Stewart (born March 6, 1893 in Stringtown, West Virginia) was one of the first African-American female pharmacists in the United States.cite web | url = http://www.pitt.edu/~biohome/Dept/Frame/ellapstewartaward.htm | title = Ella P. Stewart Award | publisher = University of Pittsburgh | accessdate = 2007-11-10]

Early life

Stewart was an ambitious child and did exceptionally in the classroom throughout her years in school. At the age of twelve, Stewart began attending high school and had the dreams of being an educator. However, she didn’t finish her training as a teacher because she was married and started a family.After the death of her child, Stewart began working in a local pharmacy.

Working in the pharmacy sparked an interest in being a pharmacist for Stewart. She desegregated the University of Pittsburgh by being the first black student admitted in 1914. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1916 with her Ph.D. In the same year, Stewart passed the state examination becoming the first African American female pharmacist in the state of Pennsylvania and one the first African American female pharmacists in the country.

Career

Upon graduating and passing the state exam worked throughout Pennsylvania. She initially worked the General Hospital in Braddock, Pennsylvania, but was later able to open several of her own pharmacies. Her pharmacies were left under the management of peers from the University of Pittsburgh.

In 1920, Stewart was remarried, to a fellow pharmacist, and moved to Youngstown, Ohio. There, she was hired as a pharmacist at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. After some time, Stewart resigned from the position and moved with her husband to Detroit. Their life in Detroit was short-lived. Ella Stewart and her husband moved to Toledo, Ohio, to open a pharmacy. Stewart became one of the first black professionals in the Northwestern Ohio area and the first African-American pharmacist in the region.

Legacy

Ella Nora Phillips Stewart not only known for becoming one of the first African American female pharmacists, but also for her struggles against discrimination and her impact in the community. Stewart was involved in many community organizations, including the Enterprise Charity Club, the Ohio Association of Colored Women, the National Association of Colored Women. Her involvement in these organizations and the obstacles that she has overcome has led to many awards in the Northwest Ohio area and at the University of Pittsburgh that bear her name.

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