African American mathematician
Walter Richard Talbot (1909-1977)[1] was the fourth African American to earn a Ph.D. in Mathematics (Geometric Group Theory) from the University of Pittsburgh[2] and Lincoln University's youngest Doctor of Philosophy.[3] He was a member of Sigma Xi[4] and Pi Tau Phi.[5]
In 1969 Talbot co-founded the National Association of Mathematics (NAM) at Morgan State University,[6] the organization which, nine years later honored him at a memorial luncheon and created a scholarship[7] in his name.[8] In 1990 the Cox-Talbot lecture[9] was inaugurated recognizing his accomplishments together with Elbert Frank Cox – the first African-American to get a doctoral degree in mathematics.
Academic positions Talbot held include: Mathematics Department Chair and Professor[10] (Morgan State University); assistant professor,[11] professor, department chair, dean of men, registrar, acting dean of instruction (Lincoln University).[12] Talbot was most widely known for his introduction of computer technology to the school.[13]
Talbot's dissertation was entitled Fundamental Regions in S(sub 6) for the Simple Quaternary G(sub 60), Type I.[14]
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