Laura Nobles was born in Tucson Arizona in 1921 to Missouri (Johnson) and James Nobles, Sr. Laura aspired and attained many goals in her life. Much of her family migrated to Tucson in the early 1900’s and many remained here or close by. They lived in the same adobe home for generations. Laura was the first African American appointed at the Superintendent level in Tucson Unified School District and in the City of Tucson. She was the First African American in the YWCA Western Region to be elected to the position of president and later the National YWCA Board. Laura also was the first President of the Tucson Chapter of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). Laura’s firsts also included being the first African American to be elected President of the Tucson Urban League. She also was the first African American to receive an E.D. Specialist Degree from the University of Arizona. With more awards than we have time to share Laura has for 75 years been a member of AKA (Alpha Kappa Alpha) sorority and is a Platinum member of the Links, Incorporated. To learn more about her life, purchase her book
“From the Barrio to the Board Room”
