Evening star., 1938-03-13
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS,

Washington born and bred. She is
the daughter of the late DR.. Lewes
Delaware Wilson and his wife, Myrtle
Hughes Wilson, of this city.
Nor has this first and only woman
Phi. D. in economics in the United
States, to be seated as a delegate to
a foreign actuarial congress, by any
manner of means lost the tabled femi-
nine touch or forgotten with her Della
ware Colonial grandmothers that the
magic sesame to the masculine heart
is still through the delights of Lucuk-
lus.
So great is her skill with the mixing
bowl and the recipe book, it is said
to rank unoficially with her mathe-
matical prowess among groups of
learned societies and their ladies. It
is even whispered in these circles that
the memory of certain of Miss Will
sons extra special epicurean recipes
compounded after the daily sessions
of various mathematical congresses
has been known to outlast answers
evolved to hitherto unsolveable prob
lens.
Marjorie Hills of Live Alone and
Like it" fame, lists Miss Wilson's at
tainments in her chosen field Of
mathematics and actuarial science as
one of the evidence that women's
work is everywhere.
Knew All the Answers.
From her childhood days as little
blond curly head living on Capitol
Hill, near the United States Capitol
and Library of Congress, Elizabeth
Wilson, in addition to enjoying all
of the pastimes of her playmates, was
the one who invariably knew all the
answers to the hardest arithmetic
and algebra problems in school and
out. She was equally generous, too.
in sharing them with less successful
strugglers, always tucking in a bit of
Illuminating wisdom useful in helping
untangle the next mathematical snarl.
At Eastern High School, starring
in all of its mathematical courses
was simply no feat at all for. her.
Majoring in history and mathe-
matics at the George Washington Uni
versity, she not only achieved her
A. B. in three years, but won the
Ruggles Medal in mathematics, as
her father, an alumnus of the uni
versity, had done before her
With our country plunged into the
World War, Elizabeth felt that, in
stead of engaging in the social whirl
which would ordinarily have been
hers because of the assured back
ground of her father and mother in
this community, it was her duty to
release a man for overseas duty and
serve her country as well in some
useful capacity with her mathematical
proves.
Joind Ordinance Staff.
She refused exactly nine proffered
clerical jobs before the Ballistic Unit
of the Ordinance Department in need
of a chief computer learned of her
skill and academic background, and
added her to its staff in the War
Department. Here, working with
many of Americas most prominent
mathematicians, she computed the
trajectories, or paths of bullets in
the air, for Uncle Sans big guns
in the overseas offensive. It was
this unit, too, which developed the
methods whereby trajectory could
be computed in two days when two
weeks had hitherto been required for
the task
Allowances" she tells you, had
to be made for wind, temperature,
and even the rotation of the earth"
The Germans" according to Miss
Wilson, had a distinct advantage
over our American marksman because
the earth turns toward the east and,
as they were shooting toward the west,
their bullets inevitably carried farther
into the Allies lines
Obtained Masters Degree.
In 1920, after 10 months gruelling
Service in this highly technical appli-
cation of mathematical principles,
this flaxen-haired, blue-eyed young
Washingtonian with her dimpling smile
and ready laughter, went on to Rad
cliffe, where she acquired her masters
degree.
Then came her return to Washing
ton and position as a teacher Of
mathematics in the Central High
School, where her mothers brother,
the late Percy S. Hughes, had pre-
viously won such distinction as its
principal that he was made assist
ant superintendent of its public school
system prior to being called to head
the public schools of Syracuse, N. Y.
1t was during this stage of her ca
reer that Miss Wilson was twice un-
animously elected president of the
Columbian Women of the George
Washington University. One of the
Oldest and most distinguished wom-
ems organizations in the City of
Washington, it has for nearly half a
century been an invaluable hand
maiden of the University in making
gift scholarships available to young
women Of outstanding merit and abil-
ity who could not otherwise have Sc
cured the advantages of a college edu-
cation.
Diversified Activities.
The youngest president ever to mo-
tivate this group composed of stu
dents and graduates of the univer-
sity, woman trustees and wives of its
faculty members and trustees, Miss
Wilson augmented its membership
nearly one hundred fold in addition to
diversifying Its group activities along
many lines.
Miss Wilson's continuing interest in
her alma mater is attested to by the
Lewes D. and Myrtle H. Wilson Me-
mortal Scholarship Fund, the in
terest from which Is each year allo-
Gated to woman medical student in
the university upon recommendation
of the Scholarship Committee of the
Columbian Women.
With the beacon lights of new
heights to scale in mathematics al
ways leading her farther and farther
into its mysteries, her next achieve
ment was to become an asSociate in