Lakewood Shared Hidden Heroes 2021 – Week # 2

Press release from the City of Lakewood:

January 26, 2021

This week’s Hidden Heroes are Nettie Craig Asberry and Elijah McCoy. Please share with others and discuss the important role African Americans play in shaping our community and country

LOCAL HERO

Nettie Craig Asberry

Asberry was born in Leavenworth, Kan., in 1865. She was the only free child of Violet Craig’s six children. Her father was William Wallingford, the owner of a plantation on which Violet was a slave. In 1883, Asberry graduated from the University of Kansas and eventually received her Ph.D. She is believed to be the first African American woman in the United States to receive a doctorate degree.

In 1893, Asberry settled in Tacoma. In 1902, she organized the Mozart Musical Club for young people, teaching music to youth and broadening their “musical culture and knowledge of the lives of great composers.”

In 1913, Asberry was a seminal member of the newly-founded Tacoma chapter of the NAACP, the first chapter west of the Rockies. Asberry served as the group’s regional field secretary and later as local branch secretary.

In 1916, Asberry was selected to write a letter to protest the release of the movie, “Birth of a Nation.” A few years later, in 1918, she led protests of the establishment of segregation at Fort Lewis. Asberry also challenged the practice of restricting seating for African Americans in theatre balconies. Asberry died in 1968 at the age of 103.

NATIONAL HERO

Elijah McCoy

Elijah McCoy was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1844. His parents, George and Mildred Goins McCoy, escaped slavery from Kentucky to Canada using the Underground Railroad. In 1847, the McCoy family moved to Ypsilanti, Mich.

From a young age, McCoy was interested in mechanics. In his teenage years, he studied mechanical engineering in Scotland through an apprenticeship program. After returning to the United States, although highly qualified, he was unable to find work in the engineering field due to racism. As a result, McCoy took a position as a fireman and oiler with the Michigan Central Railroad. One of his job duties was to oil steam engine parts. This task needed to be done frequently and required the train to be stopped for the task to be performed.

In 1872, McCoy invented a lubricating cup that allowed for the distribution of oil evenly over the engine’s moving parts while the train remained in motion. As a result of McCoy’s invention, trains could run continuously for long periods of time without needing to stop and be manually oiled, saving railroads time and resources.

McCoy would go on to create many inventions during his life, including designs for an ironing board, lawn sprinklers and more. In total, McCoy received 57 U.S. patents for his inventions.

McCoy died in Detroit in 1929 at the age of 85. In 2001, McCoy was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Fun fact: McCoy’s lubricating cap was preferred to cheap substitutes. As a result, heavy equipment operators often asked for the “real McCoy.”

This press release was produced by the City of Lakewood. The views expressed here are the author’s own.