Guntersville honors two trailblazing cousins whose achievements in space science, education and literacy have influenced generations.
SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala.—Two distinguished Alabama A&M University alumnae have received keys to their hometown in recognition of careers that carried them from Guntersville to positions of national influence in science and education.
Guntersville Mayor Leigh Dollar presented Jeanette Scissum, a pioneering NASA mathematician and space scientist, and her cousin, Dr. Barbara Jean Henderson Anthony, a longtime educator and former Alabama A&M faculty member, with keys to the city and resolutions honoring their lifetime achievements.
The city also proclaimed Aug. 8 as Jeanette Scissum Day, an annual observance celebrating Scissum’s contributions to America’s space program.
Scissum earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from Alabama A&M before joining NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in 1964. According to NASA, she became the first African American mathematician hired by the Huntsville center.
Her research helped advance scientists’ understanding of solar activity. In 1967, she published the NASA report “Survey of Solar Cycle Prediction Models,” which presented techniques for improving forecasts of the sunspot cycle.
During her 39-year NASA career, Scissum worked in Marshall’s Space Sciences Laboratory and held assignments connected to NASA Headquarters, Goddard Space Flight Center and the Space Shuttle Program. She also advocated for equal employment opportunities and better communication in the workplace.
Anthony established an equally distinguished legacy in education. She graduated from Alabama A&M at age 19 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a concentration in music. She continued her studies at George Peabody College—now part of Vanderbilt University—and later earned a doctorate in education from the University of Alabama.
Anthony eventually returned to Alabama A&M as a faculty member, educating and mentoring thousands of students and future teachers.
Her commitment to literacy reached far beyond the classroom. As chair of the Reading Is Fundamental program for the Epsilon Gamma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Anthony helped the initiative earn recognition as one of the nation’s 25 leading reading programs. The achievement took her to the White House, where then-First Lady Barbara Bush honored her contributions to literacy and educational advancement.
The city’s recognition celebrated two cousins who rose from the same Alabama community and used education as a pathway to service and achievement. Their journeys reflect a shared legacy of scholarship, perseverance, and leadership while demonstrating the far-reaching influence of Alabama A&M graduates.
Their lives are also chronicled in Anthony Campbell’s Advertiser-Gleam feature, “From a Dirt Road to the Moon.”