For more than a century, women and racial minorities have fought for access to education and job opportunities that were previously available only to white men. The life of Ivonne Young "Y.Y." Clark is a testament to the power of perseverance in this struggle. As an intelligent black woman who broke down the barriers imposed by race and gender, she made history repeatedly during her career in academia and industry.
She is probably best known as the first woman to hold a faculty position in the College of Engineering at Tennessee State University in Nashville. Her pioneering spirit extended far beyond the classroom, however, as she continually broke new ground for women and black engineering professionals.
She accomplished much before passing away on January 27, 2019, at her home in Nashville at the age of 89. Clark is the subject of the latest biography in IEEE-USA's "Famous Women Engineers in History" series. "Not giving up" was her
mantra.
An early passion for technology
Clark was born April 13, 1929, in Houston, but moved with her family to Louisville, California, as an infant. She grew up in an academic family. Her father, Dr. Coleman M. Young Jr., was a surgeon, and her mother, Gortensia H. Young, was a librarian and journalist.
The "Tense Topics" column that Yvonne's mother published in the Louisville Defender newspaper addressed issues of segregation, housing discrimination, and civil rights, which instilled in Clark an awareness of social justice.
Clark's passion for technology began at a young age. As a child, she secretly fixed a malfunctioning toaster, surprising her parents. It was a pivotal moment that made it clear to her family that she was destined for a career as an engineer, not an educator like her older sister, a high school math teacher.
"Yvonne's family didn't create her passion or talents. They were her own," says Carol Sutton Lewis, co-host and producer of the third season of the Lost Women of Science podcast, which features Clark. "What the family did and what they have continued to do is keep her interests viable in an unjust world."
Clark's interest in studying engineering was sparked by a passion for aeronautics, she said all the pilots she came in contact with were studying engineering, so she was determined to do just that.
She joined the Civil Air Patrol and took lessons in simulated flying. She then learned to fly an airplane with the help of a family friend.
Photo: lostwomenofscience.org
However, despite her academic success, racial barriers stood in her way. She graduated from Louisville Central High School in 1945 at the age of 16. Her parents, concerned that she was too young for college, sent the girl to Boston for two additional years at the Latin School for Girls and Roxbury Memorial High School.
She then applied to the University of Louisville, where she was immediately accepted and offered a full scholarship. However, when university officials learned she was black, they rescinded the scholarship and enrollment, as Clark discussed on the Lost Women of Science podcast, which includes recordings of interviews with her daughter in 2007.
As Clark explained in an interview, Kentucky offered to pay for her to attend Howard University, a historically African American college in Washington, D.C., rather than integrate its state-funded university.
Overcoming barriers in higher education
Although Howard gave her the opportunity, he was not free from discrimination. Yvonne faced gender barriers, according to an IEEE-USA biography.
Clark was the only woman among 300 mechanical engineering students, many of whom were World War II veterans.
Despite the challenges, she persevered and in 1951 became the first woman to receive a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the university. However, the institution downplayed her historic achievement. In fact, she was not allowed to march with her classmates at graduation. Instead, she received her diploma in a private ceremony in the office of the university president.
Career comes first
After deciding to pursue a career as an engineer, Clark repeatedly faced racial and gender discrimination. In a 2007 interview for the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), she recalled that when she applied for an engineering position in the U.S. Navy, the interviewer bluntly told her: "I don't think I can hire you."
Photo: alltogether.swe.org
When she asked why, he replied, "You're a woman, and all engineers go on a shakedown cruise" - a voyage during which a ship's performance is tested before entering service or after major changes such as a major overhaul. According to her, the interviewer told her: "The saying goes, 'There's no place for women on a shakedown cruise."
Clark eventually landed a job in the calibration laboratories at the U.S. Army's Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia, becoming the first black woman hired there. She designed gauges and finalized product drawings for the small arms ammunition and range finders produced there.
However, tensions arose when some of her coworkers resented Clark getting more money through overtime. To ease workplace tensions, the Army reduced her hours, which forced Clark to seek other opportunities.
Her future husband, Bill Clark, seeing the difficulty she was having in getting interviews, suggested she use the gender-neutral name "Y.Y." on her resume. The tactic worked. In 1955, she became the first black woman hired at RCA. She worked in the company's electronic tube division in Camden, New Jersey.
Although she excelled at designing factory equipment, she faced even more hostility in the workplace. "Unfortunately," says the IEEE-USA biography, "She felt hostility from coworkers and resentment for her success."
When Bill, who had accepted a position teaching biochemistry at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, proposed marriage, she readily accepted. They were married in December 1955, and Yvonne moved to Nashville.
In 1956, Clark applied for a permanent job at the Ford Motor Co. glass plant in Nashville, where she had interned the summer she was a Howard student. Despite her qualifications, she said, she was denied the job because of race and gender.
She decided to pursue a career in academia and in 1956 became the first woman to teach mechanical engineering at Tennessee State University. In 1965, she became the first woman to chair the Department of Mechanical Engineering at TSU.
Photo: alltogether.swe.org
While teaching at TSU, she continued her education by earning a master's degree in engineering management from Vanderbilt University in Nashville in 1972 - another step in a lifelong pursuit of professional growth. After 55 years at the university, where she also served as a freshman student adviser, Clark retired in 2011 and was named professor emeritus.
A legacy of leadership and perseverance
Clark's influence extended far beyond TSU. She was active in the Society of Women Engineers, becoming its first black member in 1951. However, racism haunted her even in professional circles.
At the 1957 SWE conference in Houston, the hotel where the event was held initially refused her entry because of segregation policies, according to a 2022 article on Clark. Under pressure from society leaders, the hotel compromised: Clark could attend the meetings, but she had to be accompanied at all times by a white woman and was not allowed to stay at the hotel, even though she had paid for a room.
She was reimbursed for her expenses and stayed with relatives. As a result of the incident, SWE vowed to never again hold a conference in a segregated city. For decades, Clark has remained an advocate for women in STEM.
In an interview, she advised future generations: "Prepare. Do your job. Don't be afraid to ask questions and benefit from interacting with other women. Whatever you are passionate about, learn about it and pursue it. The environment is what you make of it. Sometimes the environment can be hostile, but don't feel bad about it. Keep that in mind so you don't get fooled."
Photo: alltogether.swe.org
Her contributions have earned her numerous awards, including the SWE Distinguished Service Award for Engineering Education in 1998 and the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers Distinguished Service Award in 2001.
Indelible impression
Clark's legacy was not limited to engineering: she was active in Nashville's community service. She served on the board of the 18th Avenue Family Enrichment Center and participated in the Nashville Chamber of Commerce. She was active in the Hendersonville Area Chapter of The Links, a volunteer organization for black women, and the Nashville Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She also mentored Boy Scout members, many of whom later became engineers.
Clark had spent her life breaking down the barriers that tried to stop her. She didn't just shatter the glass ceiling - she paved a path through it for those who came after her.