Beatrice Worsley given name Beatrice
Beatrice Helen Worsley (18 October 1921 – 8 May 1972) was a Canadian computer scientist who was the first female computer scientist in Canada. She received her Ph.D. degree from the University of Cambridge with Maurice Wilkes as adviser, the first Ph.D. granted in what would today be known as computer science. She wrote the first program to run on EDSAC, co-wrote the first compiler for Toronto's Ferranti Mark 1, wrote numerous papers in computer science, and taught computers and engineering at Queen's University and the University of Toronto for over 20 years before her death at the age of 50.Early life
Beatrice was born on 18 October 1921 to Joel and Beatrice Marie (nee Trinker). Joel was born in 1887 to a working-class family in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Manchester. Beatrice Marie's grandparents had started a textile mill in Xia, Mexico, in the 1850s, and in 1908 Joel and Beatrice Marie moved to work at the plant. The plant was destroyed by rebels around 1917 and Joel took a job in El Salto with Rio Grande group's CIMSA mills, rising to become the general manager.Beatrice Marie gave birth to a son in 1920, Charles Robert, and then Beatrice Helen the next year. The two were homeschooled for security reasons, having little interaction with their neighbours. In 1929, Joel moved the family to Toronto to provide better schooling for his children. Charles entered Upper Canada College, while Beatrice started at Brown Public School, but moved to Bishop Strachan School in 1935.Bishop Strachan offered two tracks, and Beatrice enrolled in the more difficult university prep courses. She excelled to the point that the headmaster stated she was one of the best students to attend the school. She graduated in 1939 with awards in maths, science, and for having the highest overall grade, earned the Governor General's Award.
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