Thereasea Clark Elder

Thereasea Clark Elder (September 2, 1927 - January 5, 2021) was Mecklenburg County's first African American public health nurse. Clark was born in Lancaster, SC, in 1927 and she grew up in Charlotte's Greenville area. She was a part of the inaugural 1938 class at West Charlotte High School and after graduating she attended Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU). After a short year at JCSU, Elder transferred to North Carolina Central University to study nursing. Elder spoke fondly of her time at North Carolina Central University and described her experience as "eye-opening," because the university provided opportunities for students to serve their community.

In 1948, Elder started working at the racially segregated Good Samaritan Hospital in Charlotte, NC. During the same year Elder married Willie Elder, a World War II veteran. While working at the Good Samaritan Hospital, Elder completed a certificate program in public nursing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After this experience, Elder started working as a public health nurse for Mecklenburg County in 1962. During this time, Elder was responsible for breaking color barriers in public health, which meant that she would be assigned to predominantly white districts.

On her rounds as a nurse, Elder had to treat patients in the Ku Klux Klan territory in Charlotte as well as experience disrespectful language from other white patients who were on her route. Elder worked with the Mecklenburg County Health Department until her retirement in 1989. Because Elder spent her life dedicated to community improvement, she earned recognition at both the state and local levels. She was the president of the Greenville Historical Association was an active member of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women. She founded the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Black Historical Society and was on the Board of Greater Carolinas Chapter of the American Red Cross. She was recognized in 2013 by Johnson C. Smith for her work in strengthening the Rockwell neighborhood. The Thereasea Clark Elder Neighborhood Park was created in her honor by the Charlotte Parks and Rec. Department.

Return to list