Minerva Douglas
Born in Tarboro, North Carolina in 1936, Minerva Douglas moved with her family to Newport News when she was very young. She described her childhood as wonderful. Her father worked at the Newport News Shipyard, and her mother did domestic work. Douglas followed her older brother around the area. Douglas attended Hampton Institute where she received a degree in mathematics and a minor in biology with some emphasis in physics. Douglas had a desire to obtain a doctorate in gynecology or other health service, but she knew that even with the financial assistance of her parents, she could not obtain such a costly education. She decided to pursue a teaching degree and put her upmost effort into helping her students succeed to the best of their ability. Through the National Science Foundation, Douglas received numerous scholarships to attend colleges such as the Harvey Mudd College in California and North Carolina Central University. She taught in the Newport News school district, beginning at Carver High School. At Carver, she taught advanced mathematics, Calculus, Trigonometry, Algebra I, and Geometry. After integration, she taught at Warwick High School for one semester. Douglas then taught at Menchville High School until her retirement, having taught General Math, Geometry, Algebra I and Algebra II. Following her retirement, Douglas has remained an active member in the community.
-Interview and biographical information recorded in 2016