Eugenie Maria Morenus (February 21, 1881 – October 15, 1966) was an American mathematician and college professor. She taught Latin and mathematics at

Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar College is a private women's college in Sweet Briar, Virginia. It was established in 1901 by Indiana Fletcher Williams in memory of her deceased daughter, Daisy. The college formally opened its doors in 1906 and granted the B.A. deg ...

from 1909 to 1946.

Early life and education

Morenus was born in

Cleveland, New York Cleveland is a village in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 750 at the 2010 census. The village is located at the eastern boundary of the town of Constantia on NY Route 49. History The village of Cleveland was incorpo ...

, the daughter of Eugene Morenus and Maria Euphemia Van Blarcom Morenus. Her father managed a glassworks. She graduated from Monogahela High School in 1898. She earned a bachelor's degree from Vassar College in 1904, and a master's degree from the same school in 1905. She completed doctoral studies in mathematics at Columbia University in 1922. Her dissertation under Edward Kasner was titled "Geometric properties completely characterizing the set of all the curves of constant pressure in a field of force". Morenus was also a student for briefer periods at the University of Chicago, and at Göttingen.

Career

Morenus taught mathematics and Latin at a school in Watertown, New York and at

Poughkeepsie High School Poughkeepsie High School is the public high school (grades 9-12) in the city of Poughkeepsie, New York. It is categorized as an inner city school district as a result of the high percentage of students living in low-income households. In the 20 ...

after her master's degree. She was a Latin instructor at Sweet Briar College from 1909 to 1916, and was a mathematics professor at the same school from 1916 to 1946. She was head of the mathematics department for much of that time. While at the school she was prominent in campus events, as a chorister, photographer, and play director. Her horse, October or "Toby", was a familiar figure on campus, and Morenus would lead ten-day rides for students over spring breaks. Morenus was a charter member of the

Mathematical Association of America The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure a ...

, belonged to the

Virginia Academy of Science The Virginia Academy of Science is a non-profit organization established to promote science and scientific research in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Academy was first established in 1920 in Richmond, Virginia, by a group of nine biologists. A ...

, and was active in the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,000 ...

(AAUW). She was active in the Order of the Eastern Star and the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

. She received an Anna Brackett Fellowship by the AAUW in 1927, to study at Cambridge. After her retirement from Sweet Briar College in 1946, she taught briefly at Connecticut College for Women, and spent her winters in Florida.

Personal life

Morenus died in

Lake Wales, Florida Lake Wales is a city in Polk County, Florida. The population was 14,225 at the 2010 census. , the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 16,759. It is part of the Lakeland– Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lake Wales is ...

in 1966, aged 85 years. There was a scholarship endowment fund named for Morenus at Sweet Briar College, beginning in 1960.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morenus, Eugenie Maria 1881 births 1966 deaths American mathematicians Women mathematicians Vassar College alumni Columbia University alumni Sweet Briar College faculty