Nan Nabors Reynolds’ work in early computers ensured her a spot as one of the pioneers
of computer science and technology. Reynolds was one of 10 siblings, nine of which
attended OCW. She graduated from OCW in 1938, majoring in mathematics. She received
her master’s degree from Oklahoma State University in 1940. Reynolds taught courses
as part of the Army Specialized Training Program. She enlisted in WAVES (Women Accepted
for Volunteer Emergency Services) in 1944. Her service in WAVES included an assignment
in Corpus Christi, Texas where she assisted with Radio-Radar Project Engineers. Several
of Reynolds’ correspondences from her days in WAVES are a part of the Women’s Veterans
Historical Collection at the Jackson Library on the campus of the University of Greensboro,
North Carolina. She later became an associate engineer in aerodynamics research at
Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica, Calif. Reynolds was a professor of math at Oklahoma
State University, Oregon State, Stanford, Baylor and Harvard. She worked at Boeing
Aircraft in Seattle, Wash. for 10 years. During the 1950s, her reputation as one of
the world’s elite mathematicians impressed the faculty at UCLA. The university invited
her to work on one of the nation’s first computers. She was commissioned to experiment
with early computer technology. The computer she helped build took up an entire wall
and could perform few tasks. The project ensured her spot as one of the pioneers of
computer science. Microsoft’s Bill Gates sent her a birthday card in Oct. 2007 thanking
her for her role as a pioneer in computer technology. For 10 years she was a housewife
in Germany while her husband taught math and conducted research. Reynolds considers
Chickasha her favorite town and OCW the best college she attended.