Born: 1924 (Washington, D.C.)
Biography:
Evelyn Boyd Granville was an exceptional mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to both fields. Born on May 1, 1924, in Washington, D.C., she overcame numerous challenges and became the second African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics from an American university.
Growing up during the Great Depression, Granville faced financial hardships as her father struggled with odd jobs. Her parents eventually separated, and Granville and her older sister were raised by her mother and aunt, who both worked at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Despite the difficulties, Granville excelled academically and became the valedictorian at Dunbar High School, a segregated institution in Washington.
In 1941, Granville began her undergraduate studies at Smith College. She majored in mathematics and physics and developed a keen interest in astronomy. She graduated summa cum laude in 1945 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. Encouraged by a graduate scholarship, she applied to both Yale University and the University of Michigan and ultimately chose Yale due to their financial aid offerings. Under the supervision of Einar Hille, Granville studied functional analysis and completed her doctoral dissertation, titled On Laguerre Series in the Complex Domain, in 1949.
After completing her Ph.D., Granville joined the Institute for Mathematics at New York University, where she conducted research and taught. In 1950, she accepted a teaching position at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, a renowned college for black students. It was during her time at Fisk that Granville inspired two of her students, Vivienne Malone-Mayes and Etta Zuber Falconer, both of whom went on to earn doctorates in mathematics themselves.
In 1952, Granville left academia and took a position at the Diamond Ordnance Fuze Laboratories in Washington, D.C. However, her passion for computing led her to join IBM in 1956 as a computer programmer. When IBM secured a contract with NASA, Granville relocated to the Vanguard Computing Center in Washington, D.C. Her expertise contributed significantly to NASA’s space exploration efforts.
In 1957, Granville moved to New York City and, in 1960, married Reverend G. Mansfield Collins, which led her to relocate to Los Angeles. There, she joined the U.S. Space Technology Laboratories, which later became the North American Aviation Space and Information Systems Division in 1962. Granville played a crucial role in various projects for the Apollo program, including celestial mechanics, trajectory computation, and digital computer techniques.
Due to a restructuring at IBM, Granville made another career move and became a full professor of mathematics at California State University, Los Angeles, in 1967. She continued to inspire and educate students until her retirement.
Throughout her career, Granville made groundbreaking contributions to mathematics and computing, paving the way for future generations of women in STEM. Her achievements in a male-dominated field were particularly remarkable, and she remains an inspiration for young women pursuing careers in mathematics and computer science.