Emma B. Lommasson Papers, 1918-2013

Emma Bravo was born on December 10, 1911 to her Italian parents, Filomena and Giovanni. Her first language was Italian, and her grade school years were spent mastering the English language. In 1929, she graduated from Centerville High School in Sand Coulee, Montana, as valedictorian of her class. Following high school, she enrolled at the University of Montana where she majored in mathematics. She graduated in 1933 and returned to Sand Coulee where she taught mathematics, Latin, and Spanish at her former high school.

In 1937, Emma Bravo returned to the University of Montana and worked as a personal secretary to Dr. N.J. Lennes. She was also working towards her Masters in mathematics, which she graduated with in 1939. Emma married Tom Lommasson in 1939 and helped raise his son, Tom. The Lommassons were married for 30 years; Tom Lommasson died in December of 1969.

By the start of World War II, Lommasson was an instructor in the University of Montana Mathematics Department. She taught in a program designed to prepare young men for service in the Air Force, teaching courses such as Navigation, Civil Air Regulation, and Airplane Identification. Following the war, the University of Montana selected Lommasson as the Veterans Advisor and the Assistant Registrar. She served for 17 years as advisor for the University’s Air Force ROTC Angel Flight, and also became the University’s Registrar and the Associate Director of Admissions and Records. In 2001, the building housing the university’s administrative offices was renamed the Emma B. Lommasson Center in her honor.

Emma Lommasson passed away on November 30, 2019 at the age of 107.