Mary Deconge facts for kids

Mary Lovenia DeConge-Watson was born in 1933. She is an American mathematician. She was also a nun for some time. Mary DeConge-Watson was one of the first African-American women to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics. She was the 15th Black woman in the United States to achieve this.

Early Life and Learning

Mary Lovenia DeConge was born in 1933 in Wickliff, Louisiana. She was one of nine children in her family. When she was 16, she joined the Sisters of the Holy Family. She later became a nun.

From 1952 to 1955, Mary taught in elementary schools. These schools were in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, Louisiana. She then went to Seton Hill College. There, she studied mathematics and French. She was only the second Black student to attend that college.

After graduating in 1959, Mary taught French and math. She worked at Holy Ghost School in Opelousas, Louisiana, until 1961.

In 1962, Mary earned her master's degree in mathematics. She got this degree from Louisiana State University. She took a short break from her studies. During this time, she taught at DeLisle Junior College in New Orleans.

She started her Ph.D. studies at Tulane University. However, she faced a long illness. Despite this, she earned her Ph.D. in mathematics in 1968. She received it from St. Louis University. Her special study was about "2-Normed Lattices and 2-Metric Spaces."

Her Work as a Professor

While studying for her advanced degrees, Mary DeConge-Watson also taught. She worked at Holy Ghost High School and DeLisle Junior College. After getting her Ph.D., she became a math professor.

From 1968 to 1971, she was an assistant professor. She taught at Loyola University New Orleans. In 1971, she moved to Southern University in Baton Rouge. She continued as an assistant professor there.

Mary became a full professor in 1982. In 1986, she was chosen to lead the math department. She became the Chair of the Department of Mathematics at Southern University.

She spent many years helping elementary school teachers. She trained them for their math exams. She even wrote a special book for this training program.

From 1995 to 1998, she directed a special center. This was the Center for Minorities in Science, Engineering, and Technology. It was at Southern University. She retired briefly, then returned to work in different roles. She fully retired in 2004.

Mary DeConge-Watson also published her research. Her work appeared in important math journals. These included Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. She is known for her studies on Cauchy's Problem. This is a complex topic in mathematics.

Personal Life

Mary DeConge-Watson left the Sisters of the Holy Family in 1976. She married Roy Watson Sr. in 1983.