Willie Lee Glass

Willie Lee Dorothy Campbell Glass (August 24, 1910 – May 2, 1999) was an American academic, consultant, and educator. She was the youngest graduate and first black woman to receive a master’s degree in home economics at Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now known as Iowa State University. The city of Tyler, Texas, named a day in her honor.

Early life and education Willie Lee Dorothy Campbell was born on August 24, 1910 in Nacogdoches, Texas, to Edward John and Mary Gertrude Kennedy Campbell.

She graduated from E. J. Campbell High School, named after her father, as class valedictorian in 1927. She attended Prairie View State Normal & Industrial College. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics at Prairie View in 1931, she became the first African-American woman to earn a master's degree in home economics at Iowa State College, receiving a Master of Science degree with honors in 1933. Her thesis was titled "Training, Experience and Salary of Negro Home Economics Teachers in Secondary Schools in Texas". In 1936, she married Dominion Robert Glass, president of Texas College.

Career Soon after graduating from Iowa State College, she began teaching at Virginia State College, where she was the head of the department of food and nutrition. After teaching at the college for around a year, she returned to Nacogdoches to teach at Nacogdoches High School for a short time. In 1950, Glass became the first black woman appointed to the Texas Education Agency. She held the position from 1950 to 1974. She was also a co-founder of the Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc.

Awards Distinguished Alumna Award, Prairie View A&M College of Texas, 1961 Sojourner Truth Award, National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, 1965 Dallas Negro Hall of Fame, 1985 Texas Women's Hall of Fame, Texas Woman's University, 1985 Honorary doctorate in Humane Letters, Texas College, 1988 Distinguished Alumni Award, Iowa State University Alumni Association, 1997