Myra Hemmings

American actress (1895–1968)

Myra Lillian Davis Hemmings
Born	Myra Lillian Davis August 30, 1895^[1] Gonzales, Texas, U.S.
Died	December 8, 1968 (aged 73) San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	Howard University
Occupation(s)	Actress and Teacher
Known for	Founder of Delta Sigma Theta

Myra Lillian Davis Hemmings (August 30, 1895 – December 8, 1968) was an American actress and teacher, and a founder of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.^[2]

Early life

Myra Lillian Davis was born in Gonzales, Texas on August 30, 1895. Her parents were Henry and Susan (née Dement) Davis. In 1909, she graduated from Riverside High School in San Antonio, Texas.

Delta Sigma Theta founders, 1913, at Howard University. Myra Davis Hemmings at the far left, back row.

At Howard University in Washington, D.C., Davis was a part of the group of seven who joined the Alpha chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha in 1912; she served as its president.^[3]^[4] A dichotomy ensued between the newly initiated Alpha chapter women who lived on campus and the rest of the organization who lived off campus. ^[5] The neophytes led by Davis wanted to change the name.and voted to reorganize Alpha Kappa Alpha into Delta Sigma Theta on January 13, 1913.^[6] In this meeting she was elected president of Delta Sigma Theta.^[4]^[7]

In 1913, Hemmings graduated from Howard University.^[8] In 1947, Hemmings received her Master of Arts degree in speech from Northwestern University.^[8]

Career

After graduation, Davis began teaching in 1913 in San Antonio, Texas. Hemmings was active in amateur theater and participated in the San Antonio Negro Little Theater by directing productions.^[9] She and her husband helped to organize Phyllis Wheatley Dramatic Guild Players.^[1]

In her career as an actress, she appeared in three films. First, in the 1941 tragic drama film Go Down Death: The Story of Jesus and the Devil, she starred as the martyr Sister Caroline.^[10]^[11] In addition to acting, Hemmings co-produced and co-directed the film.^[1] In the 1943 film Marching On, she played Mrs. Ellen Tucker. In Girl in Room 20 (1946), she played Sarra Walker.^[12]

Later as a drama teacher, Hemmings directed plays from the 1920s to the 1950s at the Carver Community Cultural Center in San Antonio.^[13] She continued to teach in San Antonio for fifty-one years.^[1]

Personal life

In 1922, Davis married John W. Hemmings,^[8] a former actor on Broadway.^[1]

Hemmings was elected as vice-president of the national Delta Sigma Theta in 1933^[14] as well as the organization's historian in 1948.^[15] She was also a member of the NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women^[16] and the Alpha Phi Literary Society.^[17]

Hemmings died on December 8, 1968, in San Antonio.

Honors

After Hemmings' death, the Dramatic Theatre Guild was renamed Myra Davis Hemmings Memorial Theatre Guild.^[1] In addition, the San Antonio alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority resource center was named after Hemmings in 1986.^[18] Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. created the Myra Davis Hemmings Scholarship for the study of performance or creative arts.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Handbook of Texas Online: Myra Hemmings. Retrieved July 6, 2007.
^ Ruthe Winegarten (1996). Black Texas Women: A Sourcebook: Documents, Biographies, Timeline. University of Texas Press. p. 253. ISBN 0-292-79100-3.
^ Giddings, Paula (1988). In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the Black Sorority Movement. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 44. 0688135099.
^ ^a ^b Tamara L. Brown, Gregory Parks, Clarenda M. Phillips (2005). African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision. University Press of Kentucky, 192. ISBN 0-8131-2344-5
^ Boyd, Norma (1980). A Love That Equals My Labor; The Life Story of Norma E. Boyd (1 ed.). Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
^ Vroman, Mary Elizabeth (1965). Shaped to Its Purpose: Delta Sigma Theta--the First Fifty Years. Random House.
^ "Delta Sigma Theta Founders — Xi Chapter". Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved 2007-07-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Retrieved on July 6, 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c Slaughter, John Etta; Houston, Gary W.; revision, Walters, Katherine Kuehler. "Hemmings, Myra Lillian Davis". Handbook of Texas, Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
^ Giddings, op. cit. p. 68.
^ Yahoo! Movies: Go Down Death: The Story of Jesus and the Devil. Retrieved July 8, 2007.
^ Spencer Moon (1997). Reel Black Talk: A Sourcebook of 50 American Filmmakers. Greenwood Press. pp. 369. ISBN 0-313-29830-0.
^ MRC FilmFinder-Full Record: The Girl in Room 20. University of North Carolina. Retrieved on July 8, 2007.
^ Enriching San Antonio Schools through St. Louis Black Repertory Company in San Antonio Schools Residency Archived 2007-09-13 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on July 7, 2007.
^ Giddings, op. cit. p. 154.
^ "Sadie T.M. Alexander Archives at UPenn" (PDF). Archived from the original on June 16, 2010. Retrieved 2013-09-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Retrieved July 6, 2007.
^ Delta Sigma Theta Founders - Kappa Alpha Chapter Archived 2007-11-11 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on July 6, 2007.
^ Delta Sigma Theta Founders - Epsilon Beta Archived 2007-12-14 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 8, 2007.
^ A Guide to the San Antonio Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Records, 1934-1998 (Bulk 1938-1992). Retrieved on July 6, 2007.