Alicia Nash facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alicia Nash
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Nash in 2006
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| Born |
Alicia Esther Lardé Lopez-Harrison
January 1, 1933 San Salvador, El Salvador
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| Died | May 23, 2015 (aged 82) |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Spouse(s) |
(m. 2001; their deaths 2015) |
| Children | 1 |
Alicia Esther Nash (born Lardé Lopez-Harrison; January 1, 1933 – May 23, 2015) was a smart Salvadoran-American physicist. She was married to the famous mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr.. Alicia became a strong supporter for people with mental health conditions. She put her own career goals aside to help her husband and son, who both had schizophrenia, a mental illness that affects how a person thinks and feels.
Their life story was told in a book called A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar. It was also made into a popular movie with the same name in 2001, directed by Ron Howard. In the movie, Alicia was played by Jennifer Connelly.
Contents
Alicia Nash's Early Life and Family
Alicia Lardé Lopez-Harrison was born on January 1, 1933, in San Salvador, El Salvador. Her parents were Alicia Lopez-Harrison and Carlos Lardé, who was a doctor. Alicia also had two brothers, Carlos and Rolando. Her parents came from well-known families and spoke several languages. Her aunt, Alice Lardé de Venturino, was a poet.
When Alicia was a child, her father traveled to the United States a few times. In 1944, her family moved to the U.S. permanently. They first lived in Biloxi, Mississippi, and then moved to New York City. Alicia went to the Marymount School.
Education and Meeting John Nash
After finishing school, Alicia was accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She chose to study physics there. In the 1950s, very few women studied at MIT, especially in science fields like physics. It was at MIT that she met her future husband, John Forbes Nash, Jr..
Marriage and Family Life
Alicia and John Nash got married in 1957. Even before they married, John had started showing signs of a mental illness. In 1958, Alicia became pregnant with their son, John Charles Martin Nash. Their son also later developed schizophrenia.
Shortly before their son was born in 1959, John Nash went into McLean Hospital for psychiatric treatment. He was released after 50 days. The couple divorced in 1963. However, when John's mother passed away in 1968, he asked Alicia if he could live with her again. In 1970, he moved back in, and she continued to care for him. They remarried in 2001.
In 2002, Alicia and John visited her home country, El Salvador. The president, Francisco Flores Pérez, honored Alicia for her life and contributions.
Alicia Nash's Career
After graduating from MIT, Alicia Nash worked as a lab physicist at the Brookhaven Nuclear Development Corporation. In the early 1960s, she worked as an aerospace engineer for RCA. She was later laid off from that job.
Alicia then worked for many years at Con Edison as a system programmer. She also worked for the New Jersey Transit system as a computer programmer and data analyst. She was a member of several groups for women engineers. When the movie A Beautiful Mind came out, Alicia Nash was serving as the president of MIT's Alumni Association Board.
Advocating for Mental Health
Alicia Nash became a strong voice for people with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. In 2005, she received the Luminary Award from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. She traveled across the country to talk about the rights of people with mental illness.
In 2009, she met with lawmakers in New Jersey to discuss how to make the state's mental health care system better. In 2012, she was honored at the University of Texas at Austin's John and Alicia Nash Conference. She gave a special speech there about her support for those with mental illness.
Death of Alicia and John Nash
Alicia and her husband, John, tragically died in a car crash on May 23, 2015. The accident happened on the New Jersey Turnpike in Monroe Township, New Jersey. They were on their way home after a trip to Norway. John had just received the Abel Prize, a very important award for mathematicians.
The driver of the taxicab they were riding in from Newark Airport lost control of the car. The cab then hit a guardrail.
Portrayal in Movies
Alicia Nash was played by actress Jennifer Connelly in the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind. Jennifer Connelly won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role. She even mentioned Alicia Nash during her acceptance speech.
See also
In Spanish: Alicia Nash para niños
