"Ruth Winifed Howard Beckham (March 25,1900-February 12,1997

Was the first African-American woman to receive a doctorate degree (PhD) in psychology.She was active in many psychology organizations and received instruction from Florence Goodenough.Ruth was born in Washington D.C..She was the daughter of a Reverend and a school teacher,Ruth had 7 siblings.As a child,she enjoyed reading and inspired to be a Liberian.In 1916,she graduated from the old M Street High School,now known as Dunbar High School.After graduating from high school,Ruth attended Simmons College in Boston,Massachusetts where she majored in social work.In 1921,she received her bachelor's degree and moved to Cleveland,Ohio where she began her work as a social worker.Shortly after,she went back to Simmons College and received her master's degree in 1927.Ruth received the Laura Spelman Rockefeller fellowship in 1929 and again in 1930.With this fellowship,she attended the Teacher's College and School Work at Columbia University from 1929-1930 and studied child psychology at the Child Development Institute at the University of Minnesota from 1930-1934.In 1934,she received her PhD in psychology and child Development from the University of Minnesota.Ruth studied the development of triplets for her doctoral dissertation an conducted that triplets were less developed in general abilities compared to single children.Ruth received and internship at the Illinois Institute for Juvenile Research after receiving her doctorate and eventually began her own clinical psychology based private practice.From 1940-1964,Ruth co-directed the Center for Psychological Services along with her husband,Albert Sidney Beckham.During this time,Ruth also held the staff psychologist position at the provident Hospital School of Nursing in Chicago.Additionally,she held the position of a psychological consultant at Florida & Missouri schools of nursing while lecturing,working at psychology clinics and consulting for other organizations.From 1964-1966,she worked at the McKinely Center for Retarded Children as psychologist.Afterwards she worked at Worthington & Hurst Psychological Consultants as a staff psychologist until 1968.After that,she became a psychologist for the Chicago Board of Health until 1972.In 1934,she married Albert Sidney Beckham.And moved to Chicago,Illinois,where she remained until 1987.Ruth died in Washington,DC.