Thereasea Clark Elder (1927-2021)

Portrait by Art Rogers, 2023

Thereasea Clark Elder (T.D. Elder) was born in 1927 in the Greenville neighborhood of Charlotte. From childhood, her family and community stressed the value of education and religion. She was part of the first class of students at the segregated West Charlotte High School in 1938, and eventually received a nursing degree from North Carolina Central University.

In 1948, Ms. Clark began her career at the Good Samaritan Hospital and married Willie Elder. After more than a decade of work at the exclusively Black hospital, she became the first African American public health nurse in Mecklenburg County. Ms. Elder focused on community building in her new job, which required her to perform home visits in both White and Black districts of the city.

Outside her profession, Ms. T.D. Elder was a lifelong advocate for her community. She served as president of the Greenville Historical Association, on the Board of the Greater Carolinas chapter of the American Red Cross, and as a committee member of the Charlotte Museum of History's Save Siloam Project. Her memory is enshrined in multiple locations across Charlotte, including Thereasea Clark Elder Park and Thereasea Clark Elder Community Health Leadership Academy.