Mary Lovenia DeConge-Watson (born 1933) is an American mathematician and former nun in the Sisters of the Holy Family. She was the 15th African-American woman to earn her Ph.D. in mathematics.

Early life and education

DeConge-Watson was born in 1933 in Wickliff, Louisiana as the seventh of nine children of Adina Rodney DeConge and Alphonse Frank DeConge. She joined the Sisters of the Holy Family at age 16, later becoming a nun in the Holy Order of the Sisters of Saint Francis. Between 1952 and 1955, Deconge taught elementary school in parochial schools in Baton Rouge and Lafayette. She then attended

Seton Hill College Seton Hill University is a private Catholic university in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Formerly a women's college, it became a coeducational university in 2002 and enrolls about 2,200 students. History The school was founded in 1885 by the S ...

where she studied mathematics and French (with minors in English, psychology, and history) and was the second Black student to attend the school. After graduating from Seton Hall in 1959, Deconge-Watson taught French and math at Holy Ghost School in Opelousas, Louisiana, until 1961. In 1962, DeConge-Watson received a master's degree in mathematics from

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

. She opted to take a break from her studies and teach at DeLisle Junior College in New Orleans from 1963 to 1964. She then started her PhD studies

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

, studying there for one semester. Although delayed by a long illness in the midst of her graduate career, in 1968, DeConge-Watson received her Ph.D. in mathematics and a minor in French from

St. Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

for her dissertation ''2-Normed Lattices and 2-Metric Spaces''.

Career

While in graduate school, DeConge-Watson worked as a teacher at Holy Ghost High School in Opelousas, Louisiana and DeLilse Junior College in New Orleans. After receiving her Ph.D. she worked as an assistant professor of mathematics at

Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a Private university, private Jesuit university in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name o ...

from 1968 to 1971. In 1971 she became an assistant professor at

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...

in Baton Rouge. In 1982, she became a full professor and was appointed Chair of the Department of Mathematics at Southern University in 1986. DeConge-Watson spent many years training elementary school teachers for their math competency exams. She wrote an unpublished text as part of the training program. DeConge-Watson served as the director of the Center for Minorities in Science, Engineering, and Technology at Southern University and the A&M College System from 1995 to 1998. Following a short retirement, she returned to Southern University in various positions before entering a complete retirement in 2004. DeConge-Watson has had her work published in ''

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America'' (often abbreviated ''PNAS'' or ''PNAS USA'') is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary scientific journal. It is the official journal of the National Academy of Sci ...

'', ''The Notices of the American Mathematical Society'', and the ''Journal of Mathematical Analytical Applications''. She is known for her publications related to Cauchy's Problem for Higher-Order Abstract Parabolic Equations.

Personal life

DeConge-Watson left the Sisters of the Holy Family in 1976. She married Roy Watson Sr. in 1983.

References

External links

*Biography i
The History Makers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deconge, Mary 1933 births Living people 20th-century American mathematicians African-American mathematicians African-American women mathematicians Saint Louis University mathematicians Seton Hill University alumni Louisiana State University alumni Saint Louis University alumni 20th-century American women mathematicians 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women Southern University faculty Loyola University New Orleans faculty African-American Catholics