Tam O'Shaughnessy

Tam Elizabeth O'Shaughnessy
Tam O'Shaughnessy in 2013
Born	January 27, 1952 (1952-01-27) (age 62) San Andreas, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Troy High School Georgia State University University of California, Riverside
Occupation	Educator
Partner(s)	Sally Ride (1985–2012) (Ride's death)

Tam Elizabeth O'Shaughnessy (born January 27, 1952) is an American educator, children’s science writer, former professional tennis player, and co-founder of the science education company Sally Ride Science. O’Shaughnessy was the life partner of astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, from 1985 until Ride’s death in 2012. O’Shaughnessy and Ride also were business partners in Sally Ride Science, and they wrote six science books for children together.

Early years

O'Shaughnessy was born in San Andreas, California and attended Troy High School in Fullerton, California, where she was active in tennis. As a junior player, she was coached by tennis great Billie Jean King, who loved helping young players develop their skills, just as she had been helped by others. O’Shaughnessy went on to play on the women's professional tennis circuit from 1971 to 1974. She competed in the U.S. National Championships (now known as the U.S. Open) in 1966, 1970, and 1972. Her entry into the 1966 U.S. National Championships at the age of 14 came about by serendipity. ^[1]

O’Shaughnessy was being coached by Dr. Robert Walter Johnson, a physician who played a key role in the tennis careers of Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe. Johnson was an official of the American Tennis Association (ATA), an organization that promotes tennis for African-Americans but welcomes players of all backgrounds. During the summer of 1966, O’Shaughnessy, who is not African-American, competed in ATA tournaments in addition to U.S. Tennis Association junior events. O’Shaughnessy won the ATA national 18-and-under championship and so was automatically entered in the U.S. National Championship draw. O’Shaughnessy also competed in the 1972 Wimbledon Championships. During her tennis career, she was ranked as high as No. 52 in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings and as high as No. 3 in the U.S. in women’s doubles (with Ann Lebedeff). O’Shaughnessy holds national hard-court doubles titles in the junior division (with Ann Lebedeff) and in the women’s division (with Pam Austin).

Career and education

In 1974, O’Shaughnessy retired from tennis and went to work for Billie Jean King in her new company, King Enterprises. For several years, O’Shaughnessy was the publisher of the Women’s Tennis Association newsletter before going to college to study biology.

O’Shaughnessy earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in biology from Georgia State University, and a Ph.D. in school psychology from the University of California, Riverside. She was assistant professor of school psychology at Georgia State University from 1998 to 2001, and then associate professor of school psychology at San Diego State University from 2002 until 2007. O’Shaughnessy’s research on preventive interventions for children with reading difficulties was continuously funded by the U.S. Department of Education starting in graduate school. She retired early to devote her time and energy to Sally Ride Science, and was named professor emeritus at San Diego State University. ^[2]

O’Shaughnessy began her science writing career in 1990, collaborating with Ride on a children’s book, Voyager: An Adventure to the Edge of the Solar System. O’Shaughnessy has written 12 children’s science books, including six with Ride. Ride and O’Shaughnessy’s clear and eloquent writing style earned them many accolades, including the American Institute of Physics Children’s Science Writing Award in 1995 for their second book, The Third Planet: Exploring the Earth From Space. ^[3]

In 2001, O’Shaughnessy, Ride, and their friends Dr. Karen Flammer, Terry McEntee, and Alan Lopes formed a company, Sally Ride Science, based in San Diego, California. The mission of the company is to create engaging science books and science programs to encourage young students’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. Sally Ride Science is a thriving company. O’Shaughnessy serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors. ^[4]

In her earlier role as head of content for the company, O’Shaughnessy helped create the vision for and edited the widely acclaimed series Cool Careers In Science. The series consists of 12 books, each profiling 12 scientists and engineers working in areas from space science, green chemistry, and physics to math, environmental science, and engineering. The Cool Careers books feature female and male scientists of diverse backgrounds who are engaged in active, collaborative work. O’Shaughnessy also guided creation of the Key Concepts in Science series, which includes 12 books in Physical Science, 12 books in Earth Science, and 12 books in Life Science. All of the Sally Ride Science books are currently being converted to interactive eBooks. ^[5]

Bibliography

References

External links

• Tam O'Shaughnessy