Dr. Olivia Hooker addresses an audience at a Women’s History Month celebration in Manhattan’s Federal Hall on Wednesday, March 30, 2011. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas McKenzie
NEW YORK – Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft is scheduled to preside over a ceremony to officially rename the Coast Guard Sector New York Galley in honor Dr. Olivia Hooker, 100, who holds the distinction of being the first African-American woman admitted into the U.S. Coast Guard in 1945.
Dr. Hooker, joined the service as a SPAR (Semper Paratus, Always Ready), the acronym used for female service personnel during World War II. Dr. Hooker’s distinguished service to the Coast Guard and her outstanding efforts in serving and helping others warranted the distinction of having the Sector New York Galley renamed in her honor.
