Portrait, Joseph James Dennis Ph.D.

This oil painting of the late Joseph James Dennis hangs in the atrium of McPheeters-Dennis Hall on Clark Atlanta University's campus. Dr. Dennis was a 1929 graduate of Clark University, the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics in the state of Georgia. A decorated scholar in polynomial theory, Dennis served as a faculty member at Clark College for over 40 years, chairing the mathematics department and serving as the second president of the SIAC.