When Sally Ride became the first American woman to soar into space, she captured the nation’s imagination as a symbol of the ability of women to shatter barriers. But Sally’s historic flight represented just one aspect of a remarkable plus multifaceted life. She was also an athlete, a physicist, a science writer plus an inspirational leader in science education.
In 2001 Sally joined with her life partner, Dr. Tam O’Shaughnessy, plus three like-minded colleagues to start a company called Sally Ride Science. The goal was to inspire girls plus boys of all backgrounds in STEM (science, technology, engineering plus math) plus to promote science literacy. After Sally’s death, the company became a nonprofit based at UC San Diego. Today Sally Ride Science carries on her legacy with innovative STEM programs under the direction of UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies.
Early years
Sally Kristen Ride was born in Los Angeles on May 26, 1951. Even as a young girl, she was drawn to science. Her father, Dale, a social studies teacher, plus her mother, Joyce, a homemaker, were puzzled by her fascination with science, but they strongly encouraged her. They gave her a chemistry set plus a telescope plus got her a subscription to Scientific American. Dale plus Joyce impressed upon Sally plus her younger sister, Bear, that they could achieve anything they set their minds to.
A gifted athlete, Sally loved to play sports, especially tennis. She competed in junior tennis tournaments around Southern California plus earned a partial tennis scholarship to the elite Westlake School for Girls in Los Angeles. There she encountered an inspirational teacher, Dr. Elizabeth Mommaerts, who nurtured her interest in science.
After graduating from high school in 1968, Sally headed east to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where she studied physics plus played on the women’s basketball plus field hockey teams. She was also the top player on the women’s tennis team, plus in 1969, she won the Eastern Collegiate Tennis Tournament. But she grew more plus more homesick for California, so after three semesters, she returned home.
Sally had been wondering if she could succeed as a pro tennis player. Back in Los Angeles, she practiced tennis for hours every day while also taking classes at the University of California Los Angeles. Ultimately she opted for physics instead. Later, when asked why she decided not to pursue a tennis career, she would answer jokingly, “My forehand.” She also said, “I realized … that my education, science, was more important to me than tennis was.”
In the fall of 1970, Sally transferred to Stanford University, where she was one of only a few women majoring in physics. She also was the top player on the women’s tennis team. She graduated in 1973 with a double major in physics plus English, plus continued at Stanford to earn her master’s degree in physics in 1975.