Mildred Shapley Matthews (February 15, 1915 – February 11, 2016) was a book editor and writer known for

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

books. She was the daughter of

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

Harlow Shapley Harlow Shapley (November 2, 1885 – October 20, 1972) was an American scientist, head of the Harvard College Observatory (1921–1952), and political activist during the latter New Deal and Fair Deal. Shapley used Cepheid variable stars to estim ...

and Martha Betz Shapley; her father named the asteroid

878 Mildred 878 Mildred is a minor planet in the main belt orbiting the Sun. It is the lowest numbered, and thus the namesake, of the Mildred family of asteroids, a subgroup of the Nysa family. The Mildred subgroup, and by extension 878 Mildred itself, is tho ...

for her.

Personal life

Mildred Shapley, one of five siblings (the others were all boys) born to

and Martha Betz Shapley, attended the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

where she met her future husband, Ralph Matthews. The couple married in 1937, and moved to

Altadena, California Altadena () ("Alta", Spanish for "Upper", and "dena" from Pasadena) is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in the Verdugo Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, approximately 14 miles (23 km) from the downtown ...

in 1945, where they lived for over 30 years and raised three of their four children. A widow, she died four days before her 101st birthday in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

, survived by her four children, including June Lorraine Matthews, a brother, and a large extended family.

References

Women science writers American book editors University of Arizona people American centenarians 1915 births 2016 deaths University of Michigan alumni Women centenarians {{US-nonfiction-writer-stub