Yvonne S. Thornton | |
|---|---|
 Yvonne Thornton | |
| Born | New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Monmouth University Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia School of Public Health |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Obstetrics and gynecology, Maternal-fetal medicine |
| Website | www |
Yvonne S. Thornton is an American obstetrician-gynecologist, musician and author. [1]
Thornton was born in New York City and raised in Long Branch, New Jersey as the third of five children to Donald (1925-1983) and Itasker Thornton (1915-1977), where she graduated from Long Branch High School. [2] Her father, a ditchdigger, and a veteran of World War II, had a dream for each of his six children, all African-American girls, to become doctors. [3] [1]
Thornton graduated from Monmouth University, and was accepted to medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. During that summer, Thornton was the first contestant of color to appear on the original Jeopardy! with Art Fleming as host. [3] [4]
In 1981, Thornton became the first Black woman in the United States to become board-certified in maternal-fetal medicine. [3]
In 1995, Thornton wrote The Ditchdigger's Daughters about her parents' dream of making their children doctors; the success of the book caught Winfrey's eye and landed Thornton a return appearance on the show. [4] The Ditchdigger's Daughters was critically acclaimed, translated into 19 languages and was turned into a television movie produced by the Family Channel in 1997, with Carl Lumbly in the lead role portraying her father (Donald Thornton) and for which Kimberly Elise won Best Supporting Actress at the 1997 CableACE Awards. [5] [6] [7]
Prior to becoming a physician, at age 7, Thornton began playing alto saxophone and at age 9, she and her sisters formed a family jazz band called "The Thornettes". As they grew older, the jazz combo developed into an all-girl Rhythm-and-Blues (R&B) family band known as "The Thornton Sisters". Their mother (Itasker) was the wardrobe mistress, and also played upright and then electric bass. Her older sister, Donna, played tenor saxophone; Jeanette played electric guitar; Linda played drums [8] and was lead vocalist while her youngest sister, Rita, played piano and keyboards. Their father, Donald, was the road manager. [9]
At age 11, The Thornton Sisters performed on the then-popular Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour. Their performance appears in the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division of the Library of Congress [10]
Two years later, the sextet went on to win an unprecedented six consecutive weeks on Amateur Night at Harlem's world famous Apollo Theatre. [11] The coveted prize was a paid week of appearances with professional artists, such as Shep and the Limelites, Fats Domino, and Ernie K-Doe. A year later, in 1962, The Thornton Sisters were featured at The Brooklyn Fox with Murray the "K" and his Swingin' Soiree, performing with Fabian, The Shirelles, Chuck Jackson, and The Four Seasons. [12] [13]
Thornton married her medical school classmate Shearwood J. McClelland in 1974; he was the director of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harlem Hospital Center in Harlem, New York for 25 years, and he died in 2023. Dr. McClelland Obituary. They have two children, both physicians; Shearwood McClelland, III and Kimberly I. McClelland. [1] She has been a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey. [14]
Thornton has received numerous honors over the years, including several honorary doctorate degrees. [15] Her second memoir, Something to Prove: A Daughter's Journey to Fulfill a Father's Legacy, was released in December 2010 and was named the Grand Prize Winner of the 2011 New York Book Festival. [16] In its 250th year, Thornton was honored in 2017 with the Virginia Kneeland Frantz award for Distinguished Women in Medicine, which is the highest recognition for an alumna of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. [17]
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