A History of NAM
1969 NAM's birth
The National Association of Mathematicians,
Inc. known as NAM was first organized as an informal group, Black
and Third World Mathematicians, by and , who arranged for a gathering of
people at the 1969 Annual Meeting of the American Mathematical Society (AMS).
Seventeen people attended that meeting; Johnny Houston,
Walter Talbot,
James Donaldson,
Harriet Walton,
Beauregard
Stubblefield, Robert
Smith, Richard Griego, Thyrsa
Frazier, Etta
Falconner, Scott
Williams, and Lee
Lorch were among them.
There is as much, and quite likely more, need for NAM now as there was in 1969. We accept the challenge, and are putting in place mechanisms to address the future.
1970 first actions
An Executive Committee is selected,
a plenary committee meets, the name National Association of
Mathematicians is selected, and Frank
James is selected as the first president.
1971
Regional and State Representatives
first meet - 43 people attend; and Walter
Talbot is selected as President. NAM is legally incorporated.
First National Meeting is held.
1973
Theordore Sykes is the first elected president.
1975
Johnny Houston becomes first Executive Secretary; Executive Committee
becomes Board of Directors; Japeth
Hall is elected President of NAM.1976
NAM's National Office established at Clark Atlanta University
in Atlanta, Georgia.
1978
Samuel Douglas is elected President
of NAM.
1979
Tenth anniversary meeting in Boulder,
Colorado
1980
The Cox -Talbot Address honoring two early African American Ph.D.'s in Mathematics
is inaugurated. Address given by J.
Arthur Jones. The Claytor
Lecture honoring an early African American researcher
is inaugurated. Lecture given by James
Joseph.
1989
NAM began its series,
Presentations
by Recent Doctoral Recipients in the Mathematical Sciences.
1990 NAM National Office is moved to Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City, North Carolina
1992 Gloria Gilmer is the first woman to give the Cox-Talbot Adress.
1994
James W. Alexander is elected President of NAM. In honor of three great African American researchers
in the Mathematician Sciences, three lecture series are inaugurated
The
Bharucha-Reid Lecture, The
Blackwell Lecture, and The
Wilkins Lecture.
The annual Regional Conference on Research and Teaching established
1995
Lee Lorch is awarded NAM's lifetime achievement award.
1996
NAM re-named its serires
Presentations
by Recent Doctoral Recipients in the Mathematical Sciences
to honor the first two African American Women to earn a Ph.D..
Thus, the Granville-Brown
Session of Presentations by Recent Doctoral Recipients
in the Mathematical Sciences.
1998
Clarence Stephens is awarded NAM's lifetime achievement award.