Gillie Larew

{{short description|American mathematician (1882–1977)}} '''Gillie Aldah Larew''' (July 28, 1882 – January 2, 1977){{r|pw}} was an American [[mathematician]], the first alumna of [[Randolph College|Randolph–Macon Woman's College]] (R-MWC) to become a full [[professor]] there, and eventually the [[dean (education)|dean of the college]].{{r|retire}}

==Early life and education== Larew was the daughter of farmer and lawyer Captain I.H. Larew, and was born on July 28, 1882, in [[Pulaski County, Virginia]]. Her father had eleven children, three of whom died before Larew was born and five of whom were from a second wife after Larew's mother died in 1887. She was privately schooled before attending Randolph–Macon Woman's College from 1899 to 1903.{{r|pw}}

In 1906 she began studying for a master's degree in mathematics at the [[University of Chicago]] over the summers, during breaks from her teaching position, completing the degree in 1911.<ref name="SouthwestTimes19370128">{{cite journal |title=Honor Gained by Miss Larew |journal=Southwest Times |date=28 January 1937 |volume=31 |issue=289 |page=1 |url=https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=TSWT19370128.1.1 |access-date=3 April 2025}}</ref> From 1914 to 1916 she studied there again for a doctorate.{{r|pw}} Her dissertation concerned the [[calculus of variations]]; it was ''Necessary Conditions for the Problem of Mayer in the Calculus of Variations'', and was supervised by [[Gilbert Ames Bliss]].{{r|mg}} It was one of the earliest works of mathematics to call [[Lagrange multiplier]]s by that name.{{r|lm}}

==Career and later life== In 1903, after finishing her studies at Randolph–Macon, Larew was hired as an instructor there. She became an adjunct professor in 1909. After completing her doctorate she became an associate professor. In 1921 was promoted to full professor,{{r|pw}} the first Randolph–Macon alumna to reach that position.{{r|retire}}

She took a year leave in 1929–1930 to study in Germany at the [[University of Munich]]<ref name="SouthwestTimes19370128"></ref> with [[Constantin Carathéodory]].{{r|pw}} She also studied at [[University of St Andrews|Saint Andrews University]] in [[Scotland]].<ref name="SunDial19490922">{{cite journal |title=Dr. Gillie A. Larew Assumes Post As Randolph-Macon Dean |journal=Sun Dial |date=22 September 1949 |volume=36 |issue=2 |page=1 |url=https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=SDI19490922.1.1 |access-date=4 April 2025}}</ref> She became head of the mathematics department at R-MWC in 1936,{{r|pw|retire}} the first graduate of the college to serve in that particular role.<ref name="SunDial19490922"></ref> In 1949 she became dean of the college,<ref name="SunDial19490922"></ref> and she served as dean until her retirement in 1953.{{r|retire}}

During her long career, Dr. Larew was a member of various [[professional association|professional organizations]], including the [[American Association of University Women]], the [[American Mathematical Society]], the [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]], and the [[Virginia Academy of Science]].<ref name="SunDial19490922"></ref> She died on January 2, 1977, in [[Lynchburg, Virginia]].{{r|pw}}

==Legacy== In 1948 the Randolph–Macon alumnae association [[endowed professorship|endowed a professorship]] at Randolph–Macon, the Gillie A. Larew chair of mathematics, to honor "Randolph–Macon's most valuable alumna".{{r|retire}} The annual Gillie A. Larew Distinguished Teaching Award was established in 1968 by Fred R. & Virginia Elizabeth (Jordan) Wilson;<ref name="SouthwestTimes19680218">{{cite journal |title=Gillie Larew Teaching Award Set at RMWC |journal=Southwest Times |date=18 February 1968 |volume=65 |issue=18 |page=9 |url=https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=TSWT19680218.1.9 |access-date=3 April 2025}}</ref> it is the oldest of Randolph College's faculty awards.{{r|dt}} Like Dr. Larew, Virginia Wilson was also from Pulaski County and a graduate of R-MWC (Class of 1916).<ref name="SouthwestTimes19680218"></ref>

A portrait of Larew by painter Winslow Williams, commissioned in 1986 by the alumnae of Randolph-Macon Woman's College, is part of the permanent collection of the [[Maier Museum of Art|Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College]].{{r|ww}}

==References== <references>

<ref name=dt>{{citation|url=http://www.randolphcollege.edu/news/2010/08/jennifer-gauthier-wins-larew-award-for-teaching/|title=Jennifer Gauthier wins Larew award for teaching|publisher=Randolph College|date=August 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=lm>{{citation|url=http://www.luigigobbi.com/EarliestKnownUsesOfSomeOfTheWordsOfMathematics/L-M.htm|title=Earliest Known Uses of Some of the Words of Mathematics: L–M|first=Jeff|last=Miller|accessdate=2018-11-26}}</ref>

<ref name=mg>{{mathgenealogy|id=6049}}</ref>

<ref name=retire>{{citation|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/celebrity-clipping-apr-19-1953-711013/|title=Dr. Gillie Larew to retire as dean at Randolph–Macon|newspaper=Pulaski Southwest Times|date=April 19, 1953|page=4}}</ref>

<ref name=pw>{{citation | first1 = Judy | last1 = Green | author1-link = Judy Green (mathematician) | first2 = Jeanne | last2 = LaDuke | author2-link = Jeanne LaDuke |title=Pioneering Women in American Mathematics: The Pre-1940 PhD's | title-link = Pioneering Women in American Mathematics |contribution=Larew, Gillie A.|contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IRbOAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA225 |year=2009 |publisher=American Mathematical Soc. |isbn=978-0-8218-9674-7 |pages=225–226}}</ref>

<ref name=ww>{{citation|url=http://collections.maiermuseum.org/Detail.aspx?rID=C.1986.4&db=objects&dir=MAIER|title=Portrait of Gillie A. Larew|publisher=Maier Museum|accessdate=2018-11-26}}</ref>

</references>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larew, Gillie}} [[Category:20th-century American mathematicians]] [[Category:Randolph College alumni]] [[Category:University of Chicago alumni]] [[Category:Randolph College faculty]] [[Category:20th-century American women mathematicians]] [[Category:1882 births]] [[Category:1977 deaths]]