Dolores Richard Spikes

Dolores Richard Spikes
Born	Dolores Margaret Richard August 24, 1936 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
Died	June 1, 2015 (aged 78) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
Nationality	United States
Fields	Commutative rings
Institutions	University of Maryland Eastern Shore Southern University Baton Rouge
Alma mater	Louisiana State University University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
Doctoral advisor	Jack Ohm
Notable awards	Thurgood Marshall Educational Achievement Award

Dolores Margaret Richard Spikes (August 24, 1936 – June 1, 2015) was an American mathematician and was President of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, from 1997 to 2001.^[1]

Spikes studied mathematics at Southern University and graduated in 1957, before earning a master's degree in math from University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.^[2] She was the first African American woman to earn a PhD in mathematics from the Louisiana State University in 1971.^[3] Spikes was also the first female university chancellor and later the first female president of a university system in the United States leading Southern University between 1988 and 1996.^[4]

Spikes died on June 1, 2015, aged 78.^[5] She was married to Hermon Spikes until his death in 2008. Their only child Rhonda died in 2010.^[6]

References

1. Bill Robinson. "Dolores Spikes". University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
2. "Dolores Spikes, university president, dies at 78". Washington Post. June 1, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
3. "Dolores Richard Spikes". Black Women in Mathematics. State University of New York - Buffalo. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
4. "Dolores R. Spikes". Education Makers. The History Makers. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
5. "Dolores Spikes, former Southern University president and education trailblazer, dies at age 78". New Orleans Advocate. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
6. Grimes, William (June 8, 2015). "Dolores Spikes, Trailblazer as President of Southern University, Dies at 78". New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2015.