Loretta Thompson-Glickman
45th Mayor of Pasadena
In office
1982–1984
Preceded byJosephine Heckman
Succeeded byBill Bogaard
Personal details
Born(1945-05-23)May 23, 1945
DiedMarch 18, 2001(2001-03-18) (aged 55)
Lubbock, Texas
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Saul Glickman (1972-1982, div.)
William B. Hillson (1991-1994, div.)
Elijah W. Austin (m. 1994)
OccupationSinger, politician

Loretta Jean Thompson-Glickman (May 23, 1945 – March 18, 2001) was an American politician. She became the first African-American mayor of Pasadena, California in 1982,[1][2] which also made her the first Black woman to be mayor of an American city of over 100,000 residents.[3]

Early life and education

Thompson-Glickman grew up in Pasadena,[4] and attended courses at Pasadena City College from 1963 to 1968, but did not complete any degree program.[5]

Career

Thompson was a jazz singer and toured with the New Christy Minstrels and London Fog,[6] before retiring from the entertainment industry in 1975 to start a family. She also taught high school English in Pasadena Public Schools from 1970 to 1972, but had to resign when her temporary teaching credential expired.[5]

In 1977, Thompson-Glickman became the first black woman elected as a Pasadena city director,[3][7] a few days before she gave birth to her younger son.[8][9] Four years later, she became the city's first black vice mayor,[10] before becoming mayor in 1982.[3] "There was the possibility that a minority might not get to be mayor here for many years to come," she recalled of the moment. "And it was my turn."[11] (The office of Mayor in Pasadena was not an elected or paid position, but chosen by the elected Board of City Directors, from among the Board's own members.)[12][13] She was also the first Black woman to be mayor of an American city of over 100,000 residents.[3][14]

Beyond politics, Thompson-Glickman was active in church work, as choir director at Pasadena's Grace United Methodist Church and First United Methodist Church of Pacoima,[6][15] and later minister of music at New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas. She also worked as an investment and financial aid counselor. As president of the Pasadena Human Relations Committee,[16] she was the first Black woman member of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.[8]

Personal life and legacy

Thompson married educator and union leader Saul Z. Glickman in 1972; they had two sons, and divorced in1982. She was married two more times: in 1991 to Rev. William Berry Hillson, and in 1994, to Elijah W. Austin, a Methodist clergyman. She died in 2001, at the age of 55, in Lubbock, Texas. The Loretta Glickman Endowment Fund for African-American Youth was established in her memory, by the Pasadena Community Foundation.[17] Another scholarship fund in her memory was established at the Lubbock campus of Wayland Baptist University, where she worked in her last years.[18] An oil portrait of Thompson-Glickman, painted in 1987 by Charles Haywood, is displayed in the Pasadena City Hall.

References

  1. ↑ Scheid, Ann (1986). "IV: The Roots of Greatness". Pasadena:Crown of the Valley. Northridge, California: Windsor Publications, Inc. pp. 179, 180, 1984. Other major milestones for the black community in the 1970s and 1980s have been the election of Loretta Thompson-Glickman to the City Board in 1977 and her two-year term as mayor (1982-1984).
  2. ↑ "Black Woman Selected Mayor Of Pasadena, Calif". Jet. Vol. 62, no. 11. Chicago, Illinois: Johnson Publishing Company. May 24, 1982. p. 13. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Political Power in Pasadena: Loretta Thompson Glickman is mayor of City of Roses". Ebony. Chicago, Illinois: Johnson Publishing Company. 37 (10): 113–115. August 1982. ISSN 0012-9011. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  4. ↑ Keys, Laurinda (1982-05-06). "Pasadena names first black woman as mayor". Record Searchlight. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 Williams, Bob (1977-03-17). "Winner of Primary Menaced by Background". The Los Angeles Times. pp. 168, 175. Retrieved 2022-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 "American Legion's 72nd Birthday Celebrated". South Pasadena Review. 1991-03-13. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Election Victory Even Surprises Woman Winner". The Los Angeles Times. 1977-03-10. p. 275. Retrieved 2022-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 Duty, Juana E. (1982-12-27). "Pasadena's Mayor Has Recorded Many Firsts". The Los Angeles Times. p. 38. Retrieved 2022-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Hayes, Mary (March 11, 1977). "Loretta Glickman--anatomy of an upset". Star News. p. 87. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  10. ↑ "Women Take Over". Desert Sun. May 6, 1980. pp. A3. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  11. ↑ "Words of the Week". Jet. Vol. 63, no. 20. Chicago, Illinois: Johnson Publishing Company. January 31, 1983. p. 38. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  12. ↑ "His and Her Honors". The Los Angeles Times. 1983-05-05. p. 284. Retrieved 2022-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Hastings, Deborah (1984-10-25). "Hard Cell; Pasadena Council Members Go to Jail--for a Cause". The Los Angeles Times. p. 24. Retrieved 2022-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "First Lady of City". Desert Sun. May 6, 1982. pp. A3. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  15. ↑ "A Tribute to King". The Los Angeles Times. 1991-01-21. p. 377. Retrieved 2022-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Shapiro, Marc (1983-10-31). "Women on the Move: Gifted, black, and mayor". Pensacola News Journal. p. 34. Retrieved 2022-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Loretta Glickman Endowment for African American Youth". Pasadena Community Foundation. 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  18. ↑ "Spring gala to raise scholarship funds in Austin's memory". Advancing Lubbock. 2: 2. November 2009.
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