Vivienne Malone-Mayes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vivienne Malone-Mayes
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Vivienne Malone
February 10, 1932 Waco, Texas, US
|
| Died | June 9, 1995 (aged 63) Waco, Texas, US
|
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | First African-American full-time mathematics professor at Baylor University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | mathematics |
| Institutions |
|
Vivienne Lucille Malone-Mayes (born February 10, 1932 – died June 9, 1995) was an amazing American mathematician and professor. She loved studying how different math functions work. She also found new ways to teach math to students. Vivienne was one of the first African-American women to earn a PhD in math in the United States. She was also the very first African-American professor at Baylor University.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Vivienne Lucille Malone was born on February 10, 1932, in Waco, Texas. Her parents, Pizarro and Vera Estelle Allen Malone, were both educators. Growing up, Vivienne faced challenges because schools were separated by race. But her parents always encouraged her to learn and study hard.
She finished A. J. Moore High School in 1948. At just 16 years old, she started college at Fisk University. There, she earned her bachelor's degree in 1952 and her master's degree in 1954. Vivienne first thought about studying medicine. However, she switched to mathematics after learning from two inspiring teachers, Evelyn Boyd Granville and Lee Lorch. Evelyn Boyd Granville was one of the first African-American women to get a PhD in math.
Her Career Journey
After getting her master's degree, Vivienne became the head of the math department at Paul Quinn College. She worked there for seven years. Then, she led the math department at Bishop College for one year. She decided she wanted to learn even more about math.
She tried to join Baylor University, but they refused her because of segregation laws at the time. Instead, she took summer classes at the University of Texas. After teaching for another year, she decided to become a full-time student at the University of Texas. She was the only African American and the only woman in her class. At first, her classmates didn't talk to her. She wasn't allowed to teach, and she couldn't attend some meetings. This was because they were held in places that wouldn't serve African Americans. She later wrote that she felt very alone in her math studies. She said it took incredible belief in learning to get her PhD as a Black female student.
Vivienne also took part in civil rights protests. Her friends and colleagues, Etta Falconer and Lee Lorch, later wrote that she fought against racism and sexism her whole life. She never gave up, no matter how hard things got.
Teaching and Research
As a teacher, Malone-Mayes created new ways to teach math. She even developed a program using audio lessons that students could learn from at their own speed. Her math research focused on a field called functional analysis. She studied how certain math functions grow and behave. She earned her PhD in 1966. Her main professor was Don E. Edmondson.
After finishing her PhD, Malone-Mayes became a full-time professor in the math department at Baylor University. This was a big step, as she was the first African-American professor there. She continued her research in functional analysis. Her work was so new and important that she received money from the government to support it. One of her papers was even published in a very respected math journal. She quickly became a full professor at Baylor.
Vivienne Malone-Mayes had a very successful career. She served on many important groups and committees. She retired in 1994 due to health reasons. She was also one of the few African-American women invited to the White House.
Community Involvement
Vivienne was a member of the board of directors for the National Association of Mathematicians. She was also chosen to be a director for the Texas section of the Mathematical Association of America. She helped lead a program that brought math lectures to high school students in Texas.
She was also very active in her local community. She was a lifelong member of New Hope Baptist Church. She served on the boards of groups like Goodwill Industries and Family Counseling and Children. She also helped advise the state of Texas on mental health centers.
Vivienne Malone-Mayes was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She even served as the President of the Waco Alumnae Chapter.
Legacy and Recognition
Vivienne Malone-Mayes made history in several ways. She was one of the first African-American women to get a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Texas. She was the fifth African-American woman in the entire United States to earn a math PhD.
She was also the first African-American person to be elected to the Executive Committee of the Association for Women in Mathematics. In 1971, the students at Baylor University voted her the "Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year."
Personal Life
Vivienne Malone married James Mayes in 1952. They had a daughter named Patsyanne Mayes Wheeler. Vivienne passed away from a heart attack in Waco on June 9, 1995. She was 63 years old. She is buried in Greenwood Cemetery.
See also
In Spanish: Vivienne Malone-Mayes para niños
