Ruby Chappelle Boyd
Born(1919-03-18)March 18, 1919
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationAtlanta University

Ruby Chappelle Boyd (born March 18, 1919) was the first African-American librarian in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She also worked to preserve the history of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Early life and work in libraries

Ruby Chappelle was born March 18, 1919, in Philadelphia.[1] Her parents, Bersie and Pearl Chappelle, had moved to Philadelphia from South Carolina during the Great Migration.[2] After growing up in Philadelphia, Boyd sought work as a librarian and applied to attend Drexel Institute, but was denied admittance due to her race.[1][3]

Boyd is a graduate of Wilberforce University and attended Atlanta University Library School, earning her Bachelor in Library Science and Service degree in 1943.[3] While she was attending school in Atlanta, Philadelphia elementary school principal John Henry Brodhead fought a battle against discrimination in the city's government, and in 1943 the Free Library of Philadelphia advertised to hire their first African American librarian.[1] Upon Boyd's return to Philadelphia she applied for the position and was appointed the city's first black librarian.[1] She later became the first black librarian in the School District of Philadelphia.[1]

In 1966, as president of the School Librarians Association of Philadelphia, she led the organization of the School Library Student Assistants Conference.[4]

Work for the A.M.E. Church

Boyd's maternal grandfather was an A.M.E. Church preacher and her mother served as superintendent of the Sunday school at Mother Bethel, the birthplace of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; Boyd was a lifelong member of that church.[2][1] After her retirement from the Philadelphia school district, she dedicated her work to preserving the history of Mother Bethel, developing the Church's museum.[1]

In 1982, Boyd edited a book about the Mother Bethel Church titled On this rock : the mother of African Methodism.[5]

Personal life

Chappelle married James T. Boyd, a school principal, and had one daughter.[6][7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "AME's Ruby Boyd blazed a trail that offers hope for the future". Worldwide Faith News. National Council of Churches. 20 March 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  2. 1 2 Gregory, Kia (15 February 2010). "250th birthday gift to two congregations". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Boyd, Ruby Chappelle". Alpha Kappa Alpha. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  4. ↑ "Scientific Information Notes". Scientific Information Notes. National Science Foundation. 8 (1): 8. February–March 1966.
  5. ↑ Hopper, Matthew S. From refuge to strength : the rise of the African American church in Philadelphia, 1787-1949 (PDF). Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. p. 44. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  6. ↑ "1950 United States Federal Census". Ancestry. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "James T. Boyd, 60, Principal of School". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 25 June 1974. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
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