Gloria Ricci Lothrop facts for kids

Gloria Ricci Lothrop (born December 30, 1934 – died February 2, 2015) was an important historian from California. She taught history at several universities, including Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Northridge.

Gloria Lothrop was special because she focused on the history of American women, Native American history, and the stories of European minority groups in the United States. She lived in Pasadena, California for a long time. She was the first woman to join the history department at Cal Poly Pomona. She also became the first W.P. Whitsett Professor of California History at Cal State Northridge.

Gloria Lothrop's Education and Early Career

Gloria Lothrop was born in Los Angeles. Her parents were Leo and Maria Lothrop. She went to Immaculate Heart College. There, she earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1956. She also received a master's degree in education in 1963.

After college, she received a special scholarship called a Fulbright. This allowed her to study at the University of Mysore in India. She continued her studies and earned her Ph.D. in U.S. Western American History in 1970 from the University of Southern California. Just one year later, she was hired by Cal Poly Pomona. She was the first full-time female history professor there.

A Dedicated Historian and Author

From 1966 to 1970, Gloria Lothrop worked as an assistant for the Southern California Quarterly magazine. She worked with her mentor, Doyce Nunis. After that, she continued to work for the magazine for 28 more years. She was part of its Board of Editors.

Between 1981 and 1983, she also helped with the Los Angeles Bicentennial. This was a celebration of Los Angeles's 200th birthday. Gloria Lothrop also helped write one of the first books that looked at how women helped with the westward movement in the United States.

In the 1970s, she started researching the history of women in the Old West. She used old items and records to find new information. Her work helped uncover historical facts about women that were not known before. Sometimes, these facts were hidden or listed under men's names.

Gloria Lothrop was also an author. Her first book, Recollections of the Flathead Mission, came out in 1977. She also wrote California Women with Joan Jensen in 1987. The next two years, she co-authored Pomona: A Centennial History and Guide to the History of California with Doyce Nunis.

Exploring Italian-American History

As an Italian-American woman, Gloria Lothrop was very interested in the history of Italian immigrants. She wrote many articles about this topic. Some of her articles include "Unwelcomed in Freedom’s Land" and "The Italians of Los Angeles." These articles appeared in newspapers like the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.

She also worked hard to save the historic Italian Hall on Olvera Street in Los Angeles. She wrote articles about it and helped protect a special shrine built by Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini. Throughout her life, Gloria Lothrop was part of many historical groups. She was even the president of the Los Angeles Historical Society.

Awards and Lasting Contributions

Gloria Lothrop received many awards for her important work. In 1982, she won the "Outstanding Teaching Award" from the Daughters of the American Revolution. A year later, she received a similar award from the Daughters of Colonial Wars. Cal Poly Pomona named her "Outstanding Professor" in 1981.

The Historical Society of Southern California gave her two awards in 1990: the "Jack Smith Community Enrichment Award" (she was one of the first women to receive it) and the "Carl S. Wheat Memorial Award." In 1991, she received the "Haynes-Huntington Research Fellowship" for her historical research.

Gloria Lothrop retired in 2004. She passed away in 2015 at the age of 80 in Arcadia, California. Her work helped many people learn about the important roles of women and different cultural groups in American history.