Viola Margaret Tyler Goings (August 29, 1899 – March 9, 1983)[1] was an American educator, and one of the "Five Pearls", the five founding members of the Black sorority Zeta Phi Beta in 1920.
Viola Tyler Goings | |
|---|---|
 Viola Tyler (later Goings), from the 1920 yearbook of Howard University | |
| Born | Viola Margaret Tyler August 29, 1899 Ohio |
| Died | March 9, 1983 Ohio |
| Occupation | Educator |
| Known for | One of the five founders of Zeta Phi Beta in 1920 |
Early life and education
editViola Margaret Tyler was born on a farm near Flushing, Ohio, the daughter of Richard Lewis Tyler and Evaline (Lina) Munts Tyler. She graduated from Howard University in 1920.[2] In 1920, she was one of the five founding members of Zeta Phi Beta, known as the "Five Pearls", along with her sister, Myrtle Tyler Faithful,[3] Arizona Cleaver Stemons, Pearl Anna Neal, and Fannie Pettie Watts.[4][5]
Career
editGoings was a mathematics teacher in Springfield, Ohio, and in Smithfield, North Carolina. She was also a school principal in Maryland. She and her sister appeared and spoke at national Zeta Phi Beta events into their seventies.[6][7]
Personal life and legacy
editViola Tyler married Frederick Douglass Goings in 1922. They had two sons and two daughters. Her husband died in 1973,[8] and she died in 1983, in Springfield, at the age of 83.[1] In 2018, she and her sister were honored with a historical marker called the Tyler Sisters Memorial, at Perrin Woods Park in Springfield.[9] Her daughter Wynona was inducted into Zeta Phi Beta in 2019, at the age of 95, to mark the sorority's 99th anniversary.[4] The "Five Pearls" are celebrated every year by hundreds of Zeta Phi Beta chapters across North America.[10][11]
References
edit- ^ a b "Obituary for Viola Taylor Goings". Springfield News-Sun. 1983-03-11. p. 19. Retrieved 2023-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Howard University, The Echo (1920 yearbook): 38.
- ^ "Obituary for Myrtle Lavenla Faithful". The Baltimore Sun. 1993-04-24. p. 13. Retrieved 2023-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Zeta Phi Beta Just Inducted The 95-Year-Old Daughter of their Founder Viola Tyler Goings". Watch The Yard. 2019-01-18. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ^ "Founders & First Initiates". Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ^ "Zeta Founders' Day Fete Gala Occasion". The New York Age. 1953-01-24. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bowman, Labarbara (1970-08-08). "Black Awareness is Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Goal". The Sacramento Bee. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Obituary for Frederick D. Goings". Springfield News-Sun. 1973-01-08. p. 18. Retrieved 2023-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated Historical Marker". Historical Marker Database (HMDB). Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ^ Suggs, Ernie (2020-02-20). "Zeta Phi Beta sorority's history is a century of service". Dayton Daily News. pp. D10. Retrieved 2023-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Celebrates it Ruby Year". The New York Age. 1960-01-23. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.