Ola Mae Bryant Watford (March 13, 1927 – October 18, 1997) was an American geophysicist, associated with the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bu ...

for over twenty years.

Early life and education

Bryant was from Kinston, North Carolina, the daughter of Benjamin Cleveland Bryant and Georgia S. Taylor Bryant. Her father was a Baptist minister, publisher and tobacco farmer. She earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from

Johnson C. Smith University Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and accredited by the ...

in 1946, at age 19, where she was a member of

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta ...

sorority. She moved to Washington, D.C. for further education. She completed a master's degree at the

University of Northern Colorado The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado. The university was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education. The institution has officially changed ...

later in life.

Career

Watford taught high school math for a few years as a young woman, then began working for the federal government as a clerk at the Naval Oceanographic Office in 1951. She moved to the

United States Coast and Geodetic Survey The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (abbreviated USC&GS), known from 1807 to 1836 as the Survey of the Coast and from 1836 until 1878 as the United States Coast Survey, was the first scientific agency of the United States Government. It ...

in 1953. She was described in 1973 as the only woman geophysicist employed by the United States Department of Commerce, when she worked at the National Geophysical and Solar Terrestrial Data Center in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

, charting and analyzing data on geomagnetism. She also served on the

Environmental Science Services Administration The Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) was a United States Federal executive agency created in 1965 as part of a reorganization of the United States Department of Commerce. Its mission was to unify and oversee the meteorologica ...

's Equal Employment Opportunity Committee, and was the Federal Woman's Program representative for the Environmental Data Service. In 1973 she accompanied a traveling

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

exhibit about the earth sciences, and attended the meeting of the

Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitchco ...

. By 1981, she was chief of the Space Management and Design branch of the

NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...

Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...

. Watford was first-author on one journal article, "Isomagnetic patterns in the regions of the 1965 dip poles" (1965), with W. A. Francis, G. B. Walker, and E. B. Fabiano.

Personal life

Ola Mae Bryant married economist Alven Wardell Watford in 1947. They had six children, five sons and a daughter. Her husband died in 1991, and she died in 1997, aged 70 years. Her grave is with her husband's, in

Quantico National Cemetery Quantico National Cemetery is a national cemetery in Triangle, Virginia for veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces. Adjacent to and originally part of Marine Corps Base Quantico, it was established as a national cemetery in 1983 wi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watford, Ola B. 1927 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American women scientists 20th-century American physicists American geophysicists United States Coast and Geodetic Survey personnel Johnson C. Smith University alumni People from Kinston, North Carolina African-American women scientists Burials at Quantico National Cemetery African-American physicists 20th-century African-American scientists