Joseph Moody Willard was born in Orford, New Hampshire on 1 February 1865. He attended Dartmouth University, from which he graduated cum laude in 1887. After three years of graduate study at Johns Hopkins University he was appointed assistant professor of mathematics at Penn State in 1893, and was subsequently appointed head of the Department of Mathematics that same year. In recognition of his scientific attainments, Dartmouth University conferred upon him his Master of Science degree in 1912. He was a member of the American Mathematical Society and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His daughter, Mary L. Willard, became an accomplished chemist at Penn State. Joseph M. Willard served as head of the Department of Mathematics until his death in 1923.
From the description of Joseph M. Willard papers, 1898-1922. (Pennsylvania State University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 630715049
