Eleanor Jones

Eleanor Green Dawley Jones (born 1929) is an American mathematician. She was one of the first African American women to achieve a Ph.D. in mathematics.

Early life

Jones was born to George Herbert Green and Lillian Vaughn Green on August 10 of 1929 in Norfolk, Virginia. She was the second of six children, all of whom went on to earn, at minimum, a bachelor's degree. Jones attended Booker T. Washington High School, a segregated public school. Jones began her academic career early, after graduating as valedictorian of her high school in 1945 at the age of 15. She then attended Howard University with two scholarships, one from the university and one from the Pepsi-Cola Corporation. Jones was fortunate to be mentored by Elbert Frank Cox, the first African American person to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics, as well as David Blackwell, another notable African American mathematician. In addition to Jones majoring in mathematics, she minored in physics and education. She graduated cum laude from Howard University in 1949 and completed her master's degree the following year.

Career and research

After completing her master's degree, Jones went back to Booker T. Washington High School, this time to teach. In addition to her role as an educator, she developed a new curriculum for the high school's mathematics program. Jones wed Edward Dawley, Jr. in 1951 and took time off from teaching in 1953 to start a family. She returned to teaching in 1955, this time as a mathematics instructor at Hampton Institute (presently Hampton University), near Norfolk. In 1957, when all-white public schools were integrated, the segregated public schools in Norfolk were closed. This left many African American youth with no place to attend school, leading Jones to begin tutoring these students at Norfolk's First Baptist Church. Jones also became active in the civil rights movement, achieving the rank of vice chair in Virginia's branch of CORE (Congress for Racial Equality) from 1958 to 1960. At this point, Jones decided to pursue a doctorate, as Hampton Institute would only give tenure to instructors with doctorates. Because Virginia did not permit black students to pursue doctorates in the state, Jones relocated to Syracuse University in New York in 1962. She received a National Science Foundation fellowship in 1963 and began to work as a teaching assistant at Syracuse University. Jones received her doctorate in 1966.