Etta Zuber Falconer (1931 - )
March 20, 2001
Web posted at: 2:02 PM EST (1902 GMT)
From McClure, Judy. Theoreticians and Builders: Mathematicians, Physical Scientists, Inventors. c. 2000 by Raintree Steck-Vaughn, p. 24.
Mathematician, educator
Etta Zuber left the segregated south in 1954 to attend graduate school at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She had earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics from Fisk University, where one of her most inspiring teachers was Evelyn Boyd Granville. But Zuber felt lonely in Wisconsin; African-American women academics were so rare that the students in the course she taught laughed at her on the first day. Although the class turned out well and she earned her master's degree, she decided to return home to Mississippi. She accepted a teaching position at Okolona Junior College, where she met her husband, Dolan Falconer.
In 1964, she was hired as an assistant professor at Spelman College in Georgia. At the same time, she attended graduate courses at Emory University and completed her Ph.D. in 1969 with a focus on algebra. In 1972, Dr. Falconer became chair of the mathematics department at Spelman. She instituted several innovative programs, including summer classes to expose young women to opportunities in math and science.
Falconer has worked hard to attract more African-American students to mathematics and other sciences. She was recognized for these efforts with the 1995 Louise Hay Award, given by the Association for Women in Mathematics.
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