Pitts, Raymond J. (Raymond Jackson), 1911-2004
Biographical Statement
Raymond J. Pitts, mathematics educator, dean, specialist in teacher training programs, and public school administrator.
Raymond Jackson Pitts was born in Macon, Georgia, the third of four sons born to Roberta and Willis Norman Pitts, Sr. He attended East Macon School and the American Missionary Association’s Ballard Normal. He earned a bachelor's cum laude in mathematics and physics at Talladega College where he was a member of the Sphinx Club and Alpha Phi Alpha. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics and education from the University of Michigan. He married Kathleen Lenora “Kay” Pitts on July 20, 1938 at the First Congregational Church in Atlanta, Georgia. The union produced four children: Frances Pitts Smith, Dr. Raymond J. Pitts, Jr., Kathleen Pitts Bias, and Dr. Nathaniel Gilbert Pitts.
For eighteen years, Dr. Pitts served on the faculty of Fort Valley State College where his introduction of the first campus statistics laboratory, the first all-state science fair in Georgia, and his statewide studies of math education in black high schools contributed to the success of the teacher training programs at the school. He moved to California in 1956 to work in the state's public education system. He introduced several innovative programs in math education that became the standard throughout the system. At his retirement in 1976, he served as Dean for Academic Affairs on the staff of the chancellor of the California community colleges. Dr. Pitts received awards or honors from the University of Michigan, the state of California, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the city of Pasadena, which named its human relations award after him. In addition to his work as a teacher of mathematics, Pitts was active in the field of education for the disadvantaged. He established The Pitts Family Foundation to support “creativity in the arts, humanities, and sciences as they relation to cultural diversity in its broadest sense.” He is the author of Reflections on a Cherished Past, a volume of biographies, reminiscences, and photographs of alumni of Ballard Normal prepared for their 1980.
Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:
Raymond J. Pitts papers
Robert B. Pitts papers
Robert B. Pitts helped organize what is now known as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and was the first Black man to be appointed to the position of federal regional administrator. His papers include biographical information in the forms of resumes, articles, and tributes. Also included are reports on urban housing and writings by Robert B. Pitts on minority and housing affairs in California.