Bellinger, Luther, 1913-2010
Dates
- Existence: 1913-2010
Biographical Note
Luther Garic Bellinger, son of Gary and Ruby Bellinger, was born on April 24, 1933, in Blacksville, South Carolina. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1955. Bellinger served in the United States Army from 1956-58. He and his wife, Mary, had one son, Luther G. Bellinger, Jr., born in 1959. After his honorable discharge from the Army, Bellinger taught high school mathematics in Charlotte until 1963, when he moved to South Bend, Indiana, to attend Notre Dame University on a National Science Foundation scholarship, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in Mathematics and Counseling in 1965.
While in South Bend, Bellinger served as Coordinator of Math for the South Bend school system and became a proponent of the "new math" strategies introduced in the 1960s. He conducted workshops for teachers to introduce them to new mathematics teaching methods, developed a television series to help parents, Modern Math for Parents, and delivered over 300 speeches on modern math education to teachers, parents, and students. While working for the South Bend school system, Bellinger's interest in the link between race, poverty, and educational opportunities grew, and he led a program to help low-income students receive job training that would enable them to afford to stay in school.
In 1967, Bellinger was appointed to the South Bend Human Relations and Fair Employment Commission, which led to a position as Corporate Manager of Equal Opportunity at the Bendix Corporation in Southfield, Michigan, from 1967-1970. In 1970, Bellinger started work as the Corporate Director of Equal Opportunity Programs at the McDonnell Douglas Corporation in St. Louis, Missouri, where he remained until the mid-1980s. Bellinger's work received mention in the national publication Jet, as well as many local St. Louis publications. Throughout his career he remained active in his community, and served on the Board of the Directors for the United Negro College Fund from 1972-1975 and on the Missouri Governor's Conference on Education from 1976-1977. Bellinger died on December 21, 2010, in Atlanta.