DR. EVA B.DYKES 1893- 1986
LOCAL LEVEL
HISTORY
Danella Baptiste 5th Grade January 9, 1990
JANUARY 9, 1991
How I Researched and developed my Topic
I decided to do research on Eva B. Dykes because I read about her before^ and found her very interesting,so I wanted to learn more about her. First I went to the school library to get the book I had used before which is REGOLLEGTIOHS OF VALOR EVA DYKES A STAR TO SHOW THE WAY. I read the book through to my mother , and I took notes as I read. Eva B Dykes became even more interesting to me and I pnjoyed reading about her more and more.
My mom suggested to me that the best place to get more information will be at Oakwood’s library. We went to Oakwood library where I asked for material on on Eva B. Dykes X "i >	C J- 1-	JI C*O vA
that a 5th grader^use for a social studies project. The person told me that I will find this information in the Archives. She took my mom and I to a room where there were lots of filing cabinets. Mrs. Dixon (the person working in the Archives) opened a drawer and took out a folder and gave it to^which had lots of information on Eva B. Dykes.
We went through the material and decided on what we should copy. I saw a paper which Dr. Dykes wrote when she was eleven years old, in her actual handwritings but I was not allowed to get a copy of it.
I then took home all of the materialthat I collected and with the help of my mom, decided what I should include in my project.
The book I read mentioned Mervyn Warren as one of Dr. Dykes' readers. My mom told me that I can get an inter view with him because he is one of the professors at Oakwood College. We got an appointment and I went to Dr. Warren’s office at Oakwood College. I asked him my questions and he responded. I decided to play it back, and it was blank. I forgot to turn on the mike. We did it all over again. I went home and started to write my paper from all of the information that I collected.
DR. EVA B. DYKES 1893 - 1986
After being set free from slavery, Eva B. Dykes grandparents moved from Maryland to Washington D.C. to educate their children. Eva’s grandparents sent their children to college, but Eva’s mother had to leave because of poor health.
Eva’s mother married James Dykes and they had three children^ Florence, Eva, and Anita. Their father deserted the family for a reason no-one knows . -<their mother was left to bring them up alone. Eva’s uncle, James Howard, a medical doctor, told them that they can live with hiw and his family. Eva's mother taught the girls at home, including French, Latin, Greek and Poetry. Eva loved / poetry and one of her favorite poets was Phyllis Wheatley.
In 1900 at the age of seven, Eva played the piano and the organ so well that she even played at church sometimes. When she went to college she attended Howard University} and in 1914 she graduated with the highest score of anyone in the forty-seven year history of the college with a B. A. degree. Only 250 black students in the entire U.S.A, graduated that year.
She then taught at Walden University in Nashville, Tennessee. Later on her uncle James Howard encouraged her to enroll in Radcliffe which was the country’s greatest women's college. Radcliffe said that Eva had to do her B.A. again before she can enroll in graduate school. She did so well that the school gave her two scholarships to continue studying. She met a young doctor whom she loved very mug-h, but she decided not to marry him because of different faiths.
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to 1975.
On April 20th 1973, a library was built in her honor and was named after her, The library is standing on the beautiful campus of Oakwood College. She was the guest of honor at the first meeting of the National Association of Black Women in Higher Education. Dr. Eva Beatrice Dykes died October 29, 1986 at the age of 93.
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On March 21, 1921 she took an oral test for her Ph.D. at Radcliffe. Her topic was "Pope and his influence in America from 1715 to 185O./Z On June 22nd 1921 she graduated with her Ph. D in English and was the first black woman in the nation to complete all the requirements for the Ph.D. degree, and the first Negro to receive a Ph.D. in English. She went back to teach at her old high school, Dunbar. Many of her students went on to do great things. One of them was Dr. Charles Drew who found a way to store blood in blood banks.
Dr. Dykes wrote several articles for different journals, includingv'Tbe Journal of Negro History/7 She also wrote monthly articles for"Message Magazine/Zand continued writing for 50 years. In 1942 she wrote a book The Negpe-in-Englieh-Romantic Thought.
In 1940 Dr. Dykes gave the graduation speech at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, and was the first woman tp-give this speech at Oakwood College. In 1944 she was again invited to make the main graduation speech. After her second speech she decided to come to teach at Oakwood since sinoe they had called for her for so long. When she taught she stood for two A’s - audibility, and academic excellence.
Dr. Dykes retired from teaching at Oakwood College in 1968 at the age of 75, and moved to Gordonsville, Virginia. Her retirement lasted for only two years, when she was called back to teach at Oakwood for five more years from 1970
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1.	Dr. Warren, how long were you a student of Dr. Eva B. Dykes?
2.	In a book I read that she gave r lot of homework, About how much time did it take to do all of it?
3.	What did you enjoy most about her classes?
4.	What was your least favorite thing about her class?
5.	What did you admire most about her?
6.	How did she inspire you?
7.	Is there anything else you would like to tell me abc/ut Dr. Dykes?
Thank You Dr. Warren for your time and information on Dr. Dykes.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
1•	RECOLLECTIONS OF VALOR EVA DYKES A STAR TO SHOW THE WAY by Dana Brewer Bathurst. Volume seven
This book was my main source of information. It was written in very simple language, which helped me understand about Eva and helped me get my project organized.
2.	Excerpt from CLIMBING HIGH MOUNTAINS by Frank L. Peterson. "Review and Herald" - 1962.
This excerpt helped me to know what other people thought about Eva b. Dykes.
3.	"THE HUNTSVILLE TIMES", August 15, 1968. It
It told me about her plans afer retirement, and the poems which made her want to do research.
4.	"THE JOURNAL OF NEGRO HISTORY", Volume 54, No.2, April 1969 It helped me to understand that she was known by many people.
5.	"HOWARD UNIVERSITY RECORD", June 1921, No.8.
This told me the title of her dissertation for her Ph.D,and that she also did a lot of music courses.
6.	"THE ORANGE REVIEW" by Green Publishers, Inc. Orange, Virginia, Thursday February 12, 1970 Volume xxxlx No.48
It helped me in knowing that she was an important person, and that she was liked.lt also told me about her place of retirement.
7.	"The Spreading Oak", November 13, 1986, Volume 35, No.4 This helped me to know what other people thought of her, and also about her funeral service.
8.	"Who’s Who in Colored America". A biographical dictionaryof Notable Living Persons of African Descwnt in America
This told me about her scholarships it Radcliffe, and also about her brilliance.
9.	Interview with Dr. Mervyn Warren, Chairman, Department of Religion and Theology, Oakwood College, B.A., M.A., M.Div.
Ph.D., D. Min.
Dr. Warren was one of her readers when Dr. Dykes taught at Oakwood. He gave me first hand information about Dr. Dykes as a teacher, and what he thought about her.