Pauline Sperry
Encyclopedia
Pauline Sperry was an American mathematician.
Born in Peabody, Massachusetts
, Sperry was the daughter of a Congregational
minister. She earned a BA from Smith College
in 1906 at age 21 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After teaching at a private school, she returned in 1907 to do graduate work in mathematics and music and earned an MA in the latter in 1908. She continued on at Smith to teach until 1911.
Sperry began studying at the University of Chicago
in 1913 and earned an MS in mathematics in 1914. Under the guidance of Ernest Julius Wilczynski
, her doctoral thesis, "Properties of a certain projectively defined two-parameter family of curves on a general surface", drew on his work as the founder of the American school of projective differential geometry
. She earned her PhD in mathematics and astronomy in 1916 and was elected to the Sigma Xi
honor society.
After a year teaching again at Smith, Sperry spent the rest of her academic career at the University of California at Berkeley, beginning in 1917. In 1923, she became the first female assistant professor in the mathematics department at the university. At the height of McCarthyism
, the Board of Regents
required university employees to sign a loyalty oath
. Sperry and others who refused were barred from teaching without pay in 1950. In the case Tolman v. Underhill, the California Supreme Court ruled in 1952 the loyalty oath unconstitutional and reinstated those who refused to sign. Sperry was reinstated with back pay and the title emeritus associate professor.
Sperry was an active Quaker and involved in various humanitarian and political causes.
Born in Peabody, Massachusetts
Peabody, Massachusetts
Peabody is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population is about 53,000. Peabody is located in Boston's North Shore suburban area.- History :...
, Sperry was the daughter of a Congregational
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
minister. She earned a BA from Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
in 1906 at age 21 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After teaching at a private school, she returned in 1907 to do graduate work in mathematics and music and earned an MA in the latter in 1908. She continued on at Smith to teach until 1911.
Sperry began studying at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1913 and earned an MS in mathematics in 1914. Under the guidance of Ernest Julius Wilczynski
Ernest Julius Wilczynski
Ernest Julius Wilczynski was an American mathematician considered the founder of projective differential geometry....
, her doctoral thesis, "Properties of a certain projectively defined two-parameter family of curves on a general surface", drew on his work as the founder of the American school of projective differential geometry
Projective differential geometry
In mathematics, projective differential geometry is the study of differential geometry, from the point of view of properties that are invariant under the projective group. This is a mixture of attitudes from Riemannian geometry, and the Erlangen program....
. She earned her PhD in mathematics and astronomy in 1916 and was elected to the Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
honor society.
After a year teaching again at Smith, Sperry spent the rest of her academic career at the University of California at Berkeley, beginning in 1917. In 1923, she became the first female assistant professor in the mathematics department at the university. At the height of McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
, the Board of Regents
Regents of the University of California
The Regents of the University of California make up the governing board of the University of California. The Board has 26 full members:* The majority are appointed by the Governor of California for 12-year terms....
required university employees to sign a loyalty oath
Loyalty oath
A loyalty oath is an oath of loyalty to an organization, institution, or state of which an individual is a member.In this context, a loyalty oath is distinct from pledge or oath of allegiance...
. Sperry and others who refused were barred from teaching without pay in 1950. In the case Tolman v. Underhill, the California Supreme Court ruled in 1952 the loyalty oath unconstitutional and reinstated those who refused to sign. Sperry was reinstated with back pay and the title emeritus associate professor.
Sperry was an active Quaker and involved in various humanitarian and political causes.