Vivienne malone-mayes biography

American mathematician and professor

Vivienne Lucille Malone-Mayes (née Malone; February 10, 1932 – June 9, 1995) was an American mathematician and professor. Malone-Mayes studied properties of functions, as well as methods of teaching mathematics.^[1] She was the fifth African-American woman to gain a PhD in mathematics in the United States, and the first African-American member of the faculty of Baylor University.

Early life and education

Vivienne Lucille Malone was born on February 10, 1932, in Waco, Texas, to Pizarro and Vera Estelle Allen Malone.^[1] She encountered educational challenges associated with growing up in an African-American community in the South, including racially segregated schools,^[2] but the encouragement of her parents, both educators, led her to avidly pursue her own education.

She graduated from A. J. Moore High School in 1948. She entered Fisk University at the age of 16 where she earned a bac