Katherine Horton

Born on October 12 1920, Katherine Horton will be turning 99 years old this year. She and her mother, Georgie Horton, moved to Brooklyn, New York from Sparta, Georgia when Katherine was just eight years old.

Ms. Horton lived in Brooklyn, attended the Girls High School in Brooklyn and worked at Rockland State Hospital and Jersey Contracting Corporation until she enlisted in the United States Navy in December 4, 1944. She worked in the New York Naval Shipyard from 1946 to 1964.

One of the first of three African-American Navy WAVES allowed to study at the Bethesda Maryland Medical Center, Ms. Horton served at the U.S. Naval Hospital, Great Lakes Illinois, and in the Supply Department at the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a clerk/typist. There she worked closely with persons of high-grade, officers, and men from the ships, and for a period of one year, acted as Assistant Secretary, making time cards, typing correspondence, answering telephone, receiving visitors and making reports.

Ms. Horton went on earn her associates degree in Physical Therapy in 1976, New York State license for massage in 1980 and Bachelor of Science Degree from St. Joseph’s College in 1985. In her professional career, she worked as Physical Therapy Assistant at the Veterans Administration and in patient care services rehabilitation medical services at the VA Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.

In her personal life, Ms. Horton had three children, Sandra, Kevin and Frederick. Kevin served with the U.S. Air Force (Vietnam) and Frederick served in the U.S. Army (Vietnam).