Juanita Ollie Diffay Tate (November 23, 1904 – March 21, 1988) was an American economist and college professor. She was chair of the economics department at North Carolina A&T State University. Her students included Jesse Jackson, who named Tate as his most influential teacher in 1977.
Juanita Ollie Diffay Tate | |
|---|---|
 Juanita Diffay, from the 1926 yearbook of Howard University | |
| Born | November 23, 1904 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | March 21, 1988 Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Other names | Juanita Smedley |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, college professor |
| Relatives | Ferdinand D. Bluford (brother-in-law) |
Early life and education
editDiffay was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the daughter of James Oliver Diffay and Rosaline (Soselle) Bradford Diffay. Her father was a barber and a banker.[1] She attended Talladega College,[2] and graduated from Howard University in 1926.[3] She earned a master's degree from Howard University in 1950, with a thesis titled "An Early Economic Journal Ephemerides du Citoyen our Bibliotheque Raisonee des Sciences Morales et Politiques".[4][5] She earned a Ph.D. in economics at New York University in 1962,[6] with a dissertation titled "Philip Murray as a Labor Leader".[7]
In 1928, Diffay also earned a diploma from the Madame C. J. Walker Agents in Beauty Culture program in Birmingham.[8] She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta, and in 1931 was a charter member of the sorority's Birmingham alumnae chapter.[9]
Career
editTate taught for eight years at Howard University; she also taught in the public schools in Birmingham.[10] She was a professor of economics and chair of the economics department at North Carolina A&T State University, from 1957 until she retired in 1970.[11]
Jesse Jackson was one of Tate's students, and in 1977 he selected her to receive a Golden Key Award from the American Association of School Administrators, as an educator who influenced his life and work.[12] "She taught not just economic perspective, but life perspective," Jackson explained. "From her I learned that money was not the best value in life, that you have to have the fulfillment of realizing your mission."[13] James A. Hefner, president of Tennessee State University, was another notable student of Tate's.[10]
Her sister Hazel married Ferdinand D. Bluford, the president of North Carolina A&T.[14]
Publications
edit- The forgotten labor leader and long time civil rights advocate: Philip Murray (1974)[15]
Personal life
editDiffay married Hubert R. Smedley in 1928.[16] She married her second husband, John W. Tate, in 1943,[17] and they divorced in 1962.[18] She died in 1988, at the age of 85, in Greensboro, North Carolina.[10]
References
edit- ^ Richardson, Clement (1919). The National cyclopedia of the colored race. Montgomery, Ala., National Publishing Company, Inc. p. 38 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Society Personals". The Birmingham Reporter. 1922-06-02. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-02-26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Howard University, The Bison (1926 yearbook): 45.
- ^ Howard University, ''Commencement Program (June 9, 1950).
- ^ Tate, Juanita Diffay (1950). An Early Economic Journal: "Ephemerides Du Citoyen" Ou Bibliothèque Raisonneé Des Sciences Morales Et Politique ... Howard University.
- ^ "To Get Degree". News and Record. 1962-02-04. p. 32. Retrieved 2024-02-26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Tate, Juanita Diffay (1962). Philip Murray as a Labor Leader. New York University.
- ^ "Graduation Exercises of Mme. C. J. Walker Agents in Beauty Culture". The Birmingham Reporter. 1928-11-17. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-02-26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Chapter History". BAC DST. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ^ a b c "Dr. Juanita Tate". News and Record. 1988-03-23. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-02-26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "'Teaching is My Life' Says Retiring Econ Head" The A&T Register (April 24, 1970): 4.
- ^ Lewis, Greg (1977-02-11). "Jackson Picks 'Mom' From days at A&T For Special Award". News and Record. pp. B1, B9. Retrieved 2024-02-26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kupferberg, Herbert (1977-02-13). "Golden Key Award; Rev. Jesse Jackson Picks His Favorite Teacher". Press and Sun-Bulletin. p. 128. Retrieved 2024-02-26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Miss Rosa A. Diffay". The Greensboro Record. 1978-05-26. p. 58. Retrieved 2024-02-26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Tate, Juanita Ollie Diffay. The Forgotten Labor Leader and Long Time Civil Rights Advocate: Philip Murray. Greensboro: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Press, 1974.
- ^ "Miss Flora Chisholm Hostess for Miss Diffay". The Birmingham Reporter. 1928-09-01. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-02-26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Marriage License Applications". Evening star. 1943-06-12. p. 26. Retrieved 2024-02-26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Trial Gets Under Way in $100,000 Injury Suit". The Greensboro Record. 1962-09-26. p. 23. Retrieved 2024-02-26 – via Newspapers.com.