The next meeting of the Chino Hills Historical Society is on Monday, February 27 at 7:00 pm at the Community Center at 14250 Peyton Drive, across from Ayala High School.
For Black History Month, we would like to announce that we will learn about the life of Vada Watson Somerville. She was a pioneering Black woman in Los Angeles in many ways, including earning her degree from USC and being the first female African-American dentist in the city. She served in many leadership roles with organizations for the Black community and women, in particular.
She and her husband, John Somerville, with whom she practiced dentistry, were also the builders of the Hotel Somerville, later the Hotel Dunbar, a vital South-Central Los Angeles site for African-Americans. When she died in 1972, Vada was recognized for her many contributions to the Black community.
Few know, however, that she spent part of her youth right here in the Chino Valley, so please join the Chino Hills Historical Society for a presentation by Chino Hills resident and historian Paul R. Spitzzeri for a review of the life and achievements of this remarkable African-American woman.
