Eliza Atkins Gleason
A librarian and educator who broke racial barriers to build the institutional foundation for generations of Black library professionals.
1909–2009 (age 100)·African American librarian·Birthday: December 15·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Eliza Atkins Gleason was an architect of access in a segregated world. In 1940, she became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in Library Science from the University of Chicago, a monumental feat. But she didn't stop with personal achievement. The very next year, she was tasked with a nation-shaping project: founding the School of Library Service at Atlanta University. As its first dean, Gleason designed a curriculum specifically to train Black librarians who would go on to serve underserved communities throughout the Jim Crow South. Her pioneering 1941 dissertation, 'The Southern Negro and the Public Library,' was a stark survey of inequity that became a blueprint for change. Through her leadership, the Atlanta University program became an essential pipeline, educating the overwhelming majority of African American librarians for nearly half a century.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Eliza was born in 1909, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Eliza Was Born
The biggest hits of 1909
Eliza's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1909Born
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1914Started school
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Became a teenager
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1925Could drive
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1927Could vote
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1930Turned 21
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1939Turned 30
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1949Turned 40
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1959Turned 50
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 60
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 70
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 80
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
2009Died at 100
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
Key Achievements
- Became the first African American to receive a doctorate in Library Science from the University of Chicago in 1940.
- Founded and served as the first dean of the School of Library Service at Atlanta University in 1941.
- Authored the seminal study 'The Southern Negro and the Public Library,' exposing systemic library segregation.
Did You Know?
The library school she founded at Atlanta University is credited with training 90% of all African American librarians by 1986.
She was married to a prominent Chicago pastor and civic leader, Rev. Joseph Gleason.
She served as the head librarian at the Louisville Municipal College for Negroes before earning her doctorate.
“A library's doors must be open to every citizen who seeks knowledge.”
