Sr. Mary Kenneth Keller, BVM

First to earn Ph.D. in Computer Science

Source: Wisconsin State Journal

Talk about a pioneer! Sister Mary Kenneth Keller was the first person in the U.S. to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Science,¹ achieving this academic feat in 1965 at the the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Twelve years earlier, in 1953, she completed two Master degrees in physics and mathematics at DePaul University.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1913 she entered the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1932, professing her vows in 1940.

She founded the Computer Science Department at Clarke College (now Clarke University) in Dubuque, Iowa in 1965, chairing the department for twenty years, until her death in 1985 at age 71.

Today, the university facilities include the Keller Computing Center named in her honor.

She wrote several technical books and was, of course, an early advocate for women in technology fields, and for the use of computers in education.

"Keller obit" Newspapers.com, The Des Moines Register, January 12, 1985, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-des-moines-register-keller-obit/137118808/

Her mortal remains are interred in the Sisters of Charity Cemetery in Dubuque

Source: findagrave.com

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1. Wisconsin State Journal, June 8, 1965.