Matilene Berryman

Matilene Spencer Berryman (December 8, 1920 – May 6, 2003[1]) was an American oceanographer and attorney. Originally from Prince Edward County, Virginia, Berryman had a passion for reading and mathematics since childhood.[2]

Matilene Berryman
BornPrince Edward County 
Died2003 
Alma mater
Occupation
Scientific career
Institutions

Early Life

Berryman was born in Darlington Heights, Prince Edward County, Virginia, to parents Mary and Charles Spencer.[3] She was the fifth of nine children.[3]

Education and career

Berryman earned a baccalaureate degree in mathematics from American University and a Masters in marine affairs, concentrating in oceanagraphy and sonar engineering[2] from the University of Rhode Island.[4]

In 1957,[3] she joined the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office in Maryland and taught courses on statistics and dynamics of the ocean and underwater sound to US and foreign naval reserve officers.[5] Berryman was as a professor of marine science at the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. and served as Chair of the Department of Environmental Sciences from 1970 to 1981.[2][3]

Berryman was a major advocate of education, which led to her appointment as Physical Science Administrator in the Executive Office of the President of the National Council on Marine Research and Development. Through this appointment, she served on an ad hoc committee to develop job opportunities for minorities in the marine science and oceanography fields.[3]

She believed that education "'is the key that could truly spell the difference between abject poverty and the extreme wealth of that one percent of the population.'" She continued her education by earning a law degree from Howard University.[2]

Berryman was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar on January 10, 1975. Shortly after, she established a legal practice in civil, environmental, and marine law.[3] According to the National Association for Personal Injury Lawyers, she began practicing full-time as a solo practitioner in 1983. She specialized in probate law but also worked in personal injury law.[6] Berryman was disbarred from practicing law in 2000 for commingling estate funds with her own and failing to fulfill the legal duties due to her client.[6][7]

Family

Berryman had two daughters, D’Michele Berryman (1957-1995), was an engineer and attorney, and Dr. Sherrill Berryman Johnson (1947-2010), was a research scholar, dance artist, and educator.[3]

Death

She died on May 6, 2003.[8]

References
  1. "United States Social Security Death Index". FamilySearch. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  2. Warren, Wini (1999). Black women scientists in the United States. Bloomington, Ind. [u.a.]: Indiana University Press. pp. 15–16. ISBN 978-0-253-33603-3. Retrieved 21 February 2015. Matilene Berryman.
  3. Libraries, Howard University. "LibGuides V2: Moorland-Spingarn Research Center Blog : Discovering Our History: Matilene Spencer Berryman". library.howard.edu. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  4. Berryman, Matilene S. - Who's Who Among African Americans
  5. Administration, United States Department of Labor Manpower (1967). Success. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 18.
  6. "In re Berryman" (PDF). National Association for Personal Injury Lawyers. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  7. "Bar Counsel: Sexual Orientation Discrimination in the Legal Workplace". D.C. Bar. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  8. "MATILENE BERRYMAN (1920-2003)". Mocavo. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
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