Eaddy Family Features
James Eaddy Family Tree
In October 1998 Edythe Wilma Parker Woodruff, a great granddaughter of Rev. Oliver Eady, provided the following information about herself.
Education:
Ph. D. in Mathematics, SUNY/Binghamton, 1971
M. S. in Mathematics, Rutgers University, 1967
Education courses for being permitted to teach high school, Rutgers,
1960-1964
M. S. in Physics, University of Rochester, 1952
B. A. in Physics, University of Rochester, 1948
Evanston Township High School, Evanston, Illinois; graduation 1945
Employment:
Professor Emerita, The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton
State College); 1990 - present
Trenton State College: Associate Professor, 1980-1990; Assistant Professor,
1971-1980
Douglass College, Rutgers University: Instructor, 1970-1971
Rutgers University: Teaching Assistant, 1968-1970
The School of Education, Rutgers University: Adjunct instructor in
statistics,
1963-1964
South River High School: Temporary High School Physics Teacher, 1964
Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant: 1948-1951
Major Honors:
The Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ; June 1979 - September
1980
NSF Grant September 1979-June 1980
Phi Kappa Phi
Sigma Xi
Phi Beta Kappa
1945 Westinghouse National Science Talent Search, Washington Trip Winner,
and ranked third girl nationally
Publications:
About 15 publications have been placed in conference proceedings and
journals, including: The Transactions of the American Mathematical Society,
The Pacific Journal of Mathematics, Fundamenta Mathematica, and The Physical
Review Letters.
Some comments about my career:
In 1948 I started working toward a Ph. D. in physics. I chose cosmic rays for my research field: Two professors directed the cosmic ray team: One died during lung cancer surgery in 1950. The other man had been active in the Communist Party in Germany before he had emigrated as a Jew to this country some twenty years prior. As far as I know, he never even talked about politics after he came. The McCarthy committee in the Senate called him to Washington. Although he came out OK, he feared remaining in the US and went permanently to India! Continuing toward the Ph. D. degree would have required a change in my research area. Instead, the cosmic ray work already done became my master's thesis. (I was married to Robert Woodruff and we were wanting a family. It was not easy in that era to have both a career and a family.)
After several years at home with our children, Andy and Jeanne, I started part time classes aimed at high school teaching. While in these classes, I had a chance to teach a college statistics course. I enjoyed this and realized that I preferred college level teaching and research. Hence, in spite of being urged by South River High School to accept their permanent position as a high school physics teacher, I entered Rutgers Graduate School in the Mathematics Department in the fall of 1964. Later when I was well into that thesis, my adviser moved to SUNY/Binghamton. I chose to become a Binghamton student there rather than change my thesis subject. In 1970, thank goodness, he moved only a few hours away instead of to the other side of the world as in 1951.
When I was ready for a faculty position, I looked only close to home -- it did not make economic sense for us to move away from my husband's work as a research physicist with DuPont. That year, 1971, faculty were being laid off more than hired. Fortunately, I found a position at Trenton, almost an hour's commute from home. During my nineteen years there Trenton State College become the prestigious college of The New Jersey State System.
Non-professional interests:
I enjoy working in several art media: pastels, oil, and watercolor; pottery (I have my own studio with wheel and kiln); and photography. Last year my husband and I had a joint exhibit locally of some sixty pieces of our work: my pottery and his wooden bowls. I knit, weave, sew and sometimes design clothing.
My husband and I have traveled extensively in the U.S. and Canada, and I have made trips to Mexico, Central America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.