TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Llayron L. Clarkson 1924-2022 Educator, U.S. Army
L ongtime Houston, TX educator Dr. Llayron L. Clarkson (Beta Upsilon 1949) entered the Chapter Invisible on January 29, 2022. Llayron L. Clarkson was born on August 31, 1924, and was the oldest of Llayron and Roxie Clarkson’s three children. Clarkson was raised in the Third Ward area of Houston, TX. After graduating from Jack Yates High School in 1940, he joined the National Youth Adminis- tration (NYA), a program established under President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal to help combat the problem of youth unemploy- ment, where he acquired the skills of carpentry, plumbing and electrical work. In 1943, the U.S. Army drafted Clarkson where he was deployed to Europe and North Africa. After his honorable discharge, Clarkson entered the newly created the Texas State University for Negroes, (now Texas Southern University). He earned a B.A. and M.S. degrees from
“HE EARNED A B.A. AND M.S. DEGREES FROM TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY (TSU) AND LATER BECAME THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO EARN A PH.D. IN MATHEMATICS FROM THIS FLAGSHIP UNIVERSITY. ”
Texas Southern University Mathematics Department for the L.L. Clarkson Mathematical Research Experience: a Summer Program for Undergraduate Students. His parents and sister Amelia predeceased Brother Llayron L. Clarkson. He is survived by his three children Llayron Jr., Pamela, and David (Zeny and son Deuce); two grandsons, Zachary, and Aaron; two great-grandchildren Vivian and Roman; one brother Virgil (Barbara); and a host of relatives, friends, colleagues, former students, and mentees. After his passing, Texas Southern University established Llayron L. Clarkson Endowment for Mathematics. ♦
Texas Southern University (TSU) and later became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in mathe- matics from this flagship university. Afterward, he did post-doctoral work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and attended Stanford Univer- sity as a Shell Merit Fellow. Clarkson taught at his alma mater Jack Yates High School, from 1951 to 1960 before joining the TSU fac- ulty. During his long tenure at TSU, Clarkson held several positions, including Head of the Department of Mathematics, Dean of
the College of Arts and Sciences, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Executive Vice President, Director of Campus-Wide Academic and Information Systems, and Director of Institutional Research. He was also named Pierce Professor of Mathematics and Education at TSU. After retiring from TSU in 1994, Clarkson served as Chairman and CEO of Clarkson Aerospace Corporation, a research and development engi- neering firm. During the past several years, he help underwrite funding for the
60 THE JOURNAL ♦ WINTER 2023-2024
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker