May 16, 2008
Bertha Cordelia Clark Royal
Fisk University, B.A. '40
School of Graduate Studies, '59, education
Birthplace: Jackson, Tennessee
Current home: Cleveland, Ohio
Mathematics was Bertha Royal's favorite subject. She proved her abilities by graduating from Fisk cum laude in less than four years. She moved to the Canton, Ohio, area in 1945, then to Cleveland in 1958, when she began thinking about earning an advanced degree.
At the time a single mother with three small children, she nevertheless enrolled in Western Reserve University determined to earn a master's degree in education. Freiberger Library is the place she remembers best and where she spent most of her time. After earning her master's degree, she fulfilled her dream by combining her love of math with her desire to teach.
Now retired, Mrs. Royal has fond memories and few regrets. "Life with all its happiness and sorrows is still wonderful."
She credits her parents' love, inspiration, and their desire for her to live in an educational environment as key to her success at Fisk and beyond. "Though they are now deceased, they still inspire me. They gave me hope and values."
Posted by: Heidi Cool May 16, 2008 11:30 AM
Category: Alumni
, Legacy
, School of Graduate Studies