Mary Eleanor Spear

Mary Eleanor Hunt Spear (March 4, 1897 – January 22, 1986) was an American data visualization specialist and author, known in part for devising an early version of the box plot.

Early life and education Mary Eleanor Hunt was born in Jonesboro, Indiana, the daughter of Amos Zophar Hunt and Mabel Elizabeth Ewry Hunt. She attended Peabody Elementary School, Washington D.C., She then studied at Strayer's Business College She married Albert Austin Spear in September 1921. and Practical Charting Techniques in 1969, which described detailed techniques to design and create various types of statistical charts and graphs. She also explained the roles needed for successful development and presentation of charts: a graphic analyst, a draftsman, and a communicator. The same team-based approach is recommended by 21st century author and presentations expert Nancy Duarte. which on page 166 shows a diagram of a range bar chart featuring an interquartile range box. The box plot was further developed seventeen years later by American mathematician John Tukey. 1969 Practical Charting Techniques