Guide to the Winifred Asprey Papers, approximately 1920-2007

Collection Summary

Biographical Note

Winifred "Tim" Asprey was a mathematician and computer scientist. She taught at Vassar College from 1945-1982. During her tenure, Vassar became one of the first U.S. colleges to establish a computer center and offer courses in computer science.

Asprey was born in Sioux City, Iowa in 1917. She was the daughter of Peter Asprey Jr. and Gladys Brown Asprey, Vassar Class of 1905. She attended Brownell Hall, a preparatory school in Omaha, Nebraska, from 1933-1934, then went to Vassar herself, graduating in 1938. She completed her graduate work at the University of Iowa in 1945 and returned to Vassar that year to teach in the Math Department. She eventually developed an interest in computing, a new specialization in the mathematics field. She was encouraged in this area by Grace Murray Hopper, another Vassar math professor who had gone on to computing fame for her work with the UNIVAC and applications using COBOL. Hopper had left Vassar by the time Asprey returned, but they maintained a close relationship. Asprey even lived in the house that Hopper and her husband built at Vassar.

Asprey's work went beyond Vassar's walls as well. She conducted research at nearby IBM, taught courses at high schools and other colleges (including Marist and SUNY New Paltz), lectured widely, and was active in the field. She retired in 1982, but stayed active in the Vassar community and continued to live in the Hopper house on the edge of campus until her death in 2007 at the age of 90.

Chronology

Scope and Content Note

Materials relating to Asprey's work as a mathmatician and computer scientist, particularly at Vassar College. Included are biographical materials, research and teaching materials, her writings, and photographs.

Access and Use

Related Material

Encoding Information

Finding aid encoded by Jason Kovari, 3 February 2009. Updated by Laura Streett July 2009 and May 2012.

Administrative Information