African Americans--New York (State)--Buffalo
Great Migration, ca. 1914-ca. 1970
African Americans in medicine
Velma was born in Buffalo, New York on October 6, 1933. She is the eighth child of eleven children born to Ernest and Isabell McGriff. She attended public school 12 and graduated from Hutchinson Central High School. at the age of 18 years old, she married James (Dave) Ferguson on November 25th, 1950. She is the mother of three children, six grandchildren eight great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. Velma was employed from 1953 to 1996 at Buffalo General Hospital, as a Supervisor in Cardiac Angiology, Department of Medicine. She retired in 1996. While working at Buffalo General, she attended Bryant & Stratton College and the University at Buffalo. After retiring from Buffalo General, Velma worked another decade as a bus aide supervisor beginning in 1996. She was a supervisor of bus aides. She often personally worked on the routes that had students, who were considered the most disruptive. She developed special relationships with those students and modeled behavior management for the other bus aides. She was the supervisor of bus aides. Velma became a member of The Harriet Tubman 300's Inc. in 1976. The organization was formed in 1975 to preserve the legacy of its namesake, Velma has held a 51-year tenure as the longest-tenured member as well as the oldest member of the organization. She is still an active member serving as President. In 1996, the Harriet Tubman 300's co-sponsored a historical marker at Freedom Park (formerly known as Broderick Park) in Buffalo's Black Rock district. The marker denotes the site as a former "Underground Railroad River Crossing" into Canada. In 1979, Velma co-founded the Buffalo Chapter of the Cousins, an affiliate of the largest Black Family Ancestral Groups in America. It boasts over 3500 cousins. Velma was awarded the Black Achiever Award in 1995. She is a lifetime member of St. Luke/Durham Memorial AME Zion Church, 17 E. Eagle Street in Buffalo. She is grateful to be a two-time cancer survivor and enjoying life.
Uncrowned Queens Institute for Research & Education on Women, Inc.
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
Blanc, Yves-Richard
eng