Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister was born in 1899 in Vicksburg, MS. She was the first African American Woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in Education from Columbia University in 1929. For more than 40 years she taught at colleges and universities including Miner Teachers College in Washington, DC. Returning to Vicksburg she continued her teaching career at Jackson State College in MS (1951-1967). She transformed Jackson State with several outstanding programs: 1. A Tele-lecture Series which allowed students to interview national leaders by telephone; 2. A College Readiness Program for High School Students; 3. A Superior and Talented Students Project for Black high schools across the state; 4. An Institute for Teachers of Disadvantaged Students funded by Title XI of the National Defense Education Act. Dr. McAllister believed in the possibilities of a good education and dedicated her life to helping her students attain and use education to enrich their lives.