to Chicago, after marrying James Sanford Nelson in March of that year. He was a naturalized American citizen, originally from Canada, who was a lawyer, captain, and quartermaster for the Illinois National Guard. He later worked for many years as an accountant for the city of Chicago. As she had in Cincinnati, Nelson served both black and white clientele, as well as both adults and children, though her reputation was for her gentleness with children. She inspired one of her patients, Olive M. Henderson, to become the second black woman dentist in Chicago. Though her office relocated several times, Nelson continued to practice until her retirement in 1928. In 1929, Nelson, whose first husband James had died in 1926, married William A. Rollins. In addition to her dentistry, Nelson was involved in several clubs and her social activities were widely reported in the black press. She served as vice president of the Professional Women's Club of Chicago, vice president of the Eighth Regiment Ladies' Auxiliary and was a member of the Phyllis Wheatley Club, a group organized to maintain the only black women’s shelter in Chicago. Death and legacy Ida Rollins died on May 3, 1953, in Chicago. Although she was married, she never had children. An annual diversity award given in her name was established by the School of Dentistry at the University of Michigan. Though no comprehensive work has been done on a biography of Gray Nelson Rollins, she is often cited in works as "an example of achievement and inspiration for others to follow". Her gravestone reads, "Dr. Ida Gray Nelson Rollins, 1st Negro Woman Dentist in America". References Citations Bibliography 1867 births 1953 deaths People from Clarksville, Tennessee University of Michigan School of Dentistry alumni African-American dentists American dentists Women dentists 19th-century dentists 20th-century dentists 20th-century African-American people