Doris Lidtke started teaching at Towson State College in 1968. Lidtke taught a Mathematics class called “Computer Programming," which was the only computer-related course available that fall. Lidtke herself was listed as an assistant professor in the Mathematics department, but she was for all intents and purposes the first computer science instructor at Towson University.

Lidtke was a strong advocate in the computing community, not just for computer science education as a whole, but also for considering the impact of computers on social and ethical measures. She remained a full-time faculty member at Towson University until 2002, and continued to teach part-time until her retierment in 2009. In that time she also began working with her alma mater Johns Hopkins University to help create the Center for Talented Youth, which works with young academically advanced learners. Since its founding in 1979 it has reached over 165,000 students. 

Lidtke has been recognized by the Association for Computing Machinery for distinguished service, and in 2000 she was named the Outstanding Faculty Member in the College of Science and Mathematics at Towson University.

written by Felicity Knox, Archives Associate, Spring 2021