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While the Great Depression had crippled the nation, after one year in Texas, Theodora
continued to find work, and jumped at an opportunity to teach physical education
and French at St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C. Also during this
time, she sought her Doctorate at Radcliffe and became head of the French department
at St. Augustine's. From 1931 to 1935, she spent her summers attending Harvard
University summer school, but it was not until 1943 that she received her Ph.D,
Phi Beta Kappa. She also went on to earn a Certificate de La Langue Française,
de Civilization Française from the Sorbonne (The University of Paris).
Although Theodora received her three degrees from a white institution, she was
only allowed to teach at black colleges.
“All those people who earned doctorates in the '30s and '40s -- the only
place they could teach were historically black colleges,” DeCosta-Willis
said. “Even in high schools like Dunbar High in Washington, D.C., half
of their faculty members had Ph.D’s. It was unheard of. The education
those kids received was phenomenal. They couldn’t teach anywhere else.”
According to alumnae records, athletics was always a mainstay in Theodora’s
life. By 1937, she reported that she had taken up tennis and archery.
Following her stint at St. Augustine’s, she taught at a number of places,
including, Alabama State Teacher’s College, Delaware State College, and
St. Paul’s University before her final stop, Howard University.
It was there in 1961 Theodora taught French and Humanities and by 1969, she
became the first female to serve as Chair of the Department of Romance Languages
at Howard.
As a professor, she was actively involved in the growth and development of her
students, serving on different committees over the years. She was the Chairman
of the Joint Graduate Reading Exam committee, a member of the faculty committee
for Study of Evaluation of Teachers and on the Freshman Advisory Board.
 In
addition, she held many prestigious memberships, including American Council of
Teachers of English, American Association of University Women, Phi Beta Kappa
and Alpha Kappa Mu National Honor Society. She was also listed in Who’s
Who of American Women and Holders of Doctorates Among American Negroes.
She took on the challenge of being the first woman to head up Howard's Department
of Romance Languages, succeeding internationally renowned scholars like Dr.
Valaurez Spratlin and Dr. Mercer Cook. Spratlin is noted for being the first
African-American to earn a doctorate in Spanish as well as serving as Chair
at Howard from 1927-1961. Cook, who immediately preceded Theodora, was appointed
ambassador to the Republic of Niger by President Kennedy in 1961. He held that
post for three years.
In 1970, Theodora sent a letter to DeCosta-Willis, whose father Dr. Frank DeCosta,
Sr., she had known quite well. DeCosta-Willis was teaching at Memphis State
University in Memphis, Tenn., at the time and was the first African-American
to teach there in 1967. She was there when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was
assassinated in 1968.
Theodora had contacted DeCosta-Willis to see if she would be interested in joining
her at Howard. She accepted the offer and fondly remembered her time there.
“She came behind illustrious professors and scholars and at the end of the Black
Power Movement at Howard. She was a soothing influence coming behind all of
that upheaval.”
“She was a very interesting person, very dignified and reserved. Her teaching
style was very strict and formal. She was an exacting teacher, and required
a lot of work from her students. She taught French and expected them to perfect
the language. She was much sought after as a professor.”
DeCosta-Willis enjoyed a great working relationship with Theodora and said that
she even attended DeCosta-Willis' wedding, but she was always withdrawn and
reserved.
“She wasn’t socially inclined, but she came to my wedding. I remember her sitting
there, very quiet, soft-spoken and reserved. I was so pleased to have her there
because that meant she supported me in my marriage and my personal life.”
When 68-year-old Theodora stepped down from her role as Chair in 1974, she left
the door wide open for the 40-year-old DeCosta-Willis to follow her lead. Theodora
stayed on board as a part-time professor until 1976.
Theodora never married or had any children, and by 1977, her health had deteriorated.
She moved back to her family’s home in South Carolina and was cared for by relatives
until she died on December 26.
Many people who knew Theodora knew she was an intensely private person, and
were not aware of her many accomplishments. DeCosta-Willis said that she knew
she attended Radcliffe, but never had any knowledge of her athletic prowess
or the many accolades she had received.
“She lived modestly and frugally,” DeCosta-Willis said. “She was very supportive
of other people – she was always reaching out to others.”
“She was just a really fascinating person who never really got her due, primarily
because she was so modest and unassuming.”
Born during the Progressive Era, survived the Great Depression, World War I
and II, and saw the birth of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as other vast
moments in history, Dr. Theodora Roosevelt Boyd is a hidden jewel in both women’s
and black history.
It wasn’t enough that she was granted the chance to go to college, there was
the pressure of being one of the chosen few. Not only was she representing her
family and race, but she had to be two times better than her white counterparts
and in the process, make it easier for the black women who would later come
after her.
When I saw Theodora on the wall at Lavietes, I knew that it hadn’t been
impossible for African-Americans to attend an institution like Radcliffe, for
some of her predecessors attended Ivy institutions. Just looking at a face,
one can imagine the triumphs, disappointments and the life that person
must have led. But it was not until I put a name with a face, could I fathom
such an amazing story.
Acknowledgements
This story would not have come to fruition without help from a very supportive
group of people. I would like to thank former Harvard sports information director
John Veneziano and Radcliffe archivist Jane Knowles for providing a
name and documentation to go along with the face.
At Howard, I would like to thank Dr. Rudolph Hock, Dr. James Davis and
Dr. Clifford Muse and the Moorland-Springarn Research Center.
A special thanks to Dr. Miriam DeCosta-Willis for providing great insight
for this story.
Last but not least, I'd like to thank the editorial crew of Brett Hoover,
Jeff Orleans and Eddy Lentz for their important feedback.
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