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Ida
Belle
Austin:
Celebrating
A
Super-Centenarian
DETROIT
- Ida
was born
in Mt.
Pleasant,
Tennessee
as Ida
Belle
Dawson
on
December
21,
1912,
the
second
oldest
of 14
children,
12 boys
and 2
girls.
Her
parents
were the
late
Rev.
Walter
Ed and
Minnie
Dawson.
Ida
moved to
Detroit,
MI at
the age
of
seven.
Ida
attended
and
graduated
from
Cass
Technical
High
School,
where
she met
her late
husband
the
Honorable
Richard
H.
Austin,
Michigan's
first
Black
CPA and
1st
Black
Secretary
of
State.
They
both
went on
to study
at Wayne
State
University.
In 1939,
they
married
and
together
they
have one
daughter,
Hazel.
Ida has
dedicated
her life
to
service,
and
philanthropy.
She
worked
at
Children's
Hospital
in
Detroit
as a
nurse’s
assistant,
and as
the
Secretary
at the
Accounting
Firm of
her
husband
and
partners
Austin,
Washington,
and
Davenport
whose
office
was
located
in the
heart of
Black
Bottom
Community
in
Detroit.
She was
the
first
Black
District
Director
for the
Girl
Scouts,
an
accomplished
seamstress,
and to
earn
extra
income
during
the
depression
she
would
teach
piano
lessons.
Playing
the
piano is
her
favorite
pastime
and she
can be
found
playing
the
piano at
her
residence.
Mrs.
Austin
is a
staunch
supporter
of
everything
education.
She has
supported
many
students
at Wayne
State
University
with her
scholarship
and
endowment
in the
name of
Ida B.
and
Richard
H.
Austin.
She also
gives
generously
to the
Beaumont
Commons
Scholarship
program.
She
loves to
keep in
contact
with the
scholarship
recipients
she
supports,
and they
love to
hear her
many
stories.
Mrs.
Austin
worked
beside
her
husband
tirelessly
in his
political
campaigns.
She was
a most
gracious
and
helpmate
during
his
successful
elections
as
Michigan’s
Secretary
of
State,
in which
they
served
the
State of
Michigan
for 27
years.
In 2009,
named as
the
Michigan
Democratic
Black
Caucus
Matriarch,
a title
she
loves. A
life
member
of the
NAACP,
Mrs.
Austin
spent
many
hours
preparing
and
assisting
with the
Detroit
Branch
NAACP
Fight
for
Freedom
Fund
Dinner
and
organizing
membership
drives.
In
addition
to
NAACP,
she is a
member
of the
Booker
T.
Washington
Business
Association,
YWCA,
Museum
of
African
American
History
(Detroit
and
Washington,
DC),
DIA,
DSO,
Alzheimer's
Association,
PBS, and
a
supporter
of the
Goodfellows
“No
Child
without
Christmas”.
Mrs.
Austin
is a
member
of
Metropolitan
Baptist
Church
and is
truly a
phenomenal
virtuous
woman of
God. She
states
her key
to
longevity
is her
faith in
God,
love of
family,
service
to her
community
and to
daily
eat
sweet
potato,
collard
greens
and
drink
green
tea.
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