East Stroudsburg University to Host Presentation Titled The Life and Times of Gertrude Mary Smith Boddie

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (ESU) will host a presentation on “The Life and Times of Gertrude Mary Smith Boddie (1886-1941)” on Tuesday, April 16 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Monroe Hall, Room B01. The presentation is open to the public at no cost. Christopher Brooks, Dr. phil., assistant professor of history at ESU, will present his research on Boddie, who in 1904 became the first African-American woman to graduate from a Pennsylvania Normal school, specifically East Stroudsburg Normal School (ESNS), today known as East Stroudsburg University. Soon thereafter, Ms. Smith met and married the Rev. Jacob Benjamin Boddie.

Boddie was the mother of 15 children, 11 of whom survived to adulthood. Her first born died at age 16. Her recognition of the importance and value of education, instilled in her through her ESNS experience, was passed on to her children. All of her children pursued and obtained degrees beyond the high school level in the fields of religion, medicine, law, education and community service.

Her recognition and acceptance of the importance of education in one’s life has been passed on to and inherited by Boddie’s children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Since 1928 there has not been a year when there was not a Boddie attending a college or university somewhere in the country.

A scholarship is available to students in Boddie’s honor and continues her educational legacy at East Stroudsburg University. The scholarship recipient is announced each year at a breakfast held in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

The event is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs. For more information on “The Life and Times of Gertrude Mary Smith Boddie” please contact Dr. Brooks at 570-422-3913 or by email at cbrooks@esu.edu.

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