Lamphere was born Phyllis Lee Hagmoe on February 9, 1922, in
Seattle, Washington. Her father, Ernest Archibald Hagmoe, initially worked in the local water department although he lost his job due to his alcoholism. Her mother, Minnie Hagmoe, was a public servant who worked a series of jobs throughout the
Great Depression with the state welfare office, the
Works Progress Administration, the Seattle War Commission, the city's voter registration and license offices and the King County tax department. Lamphere studied at Interlake Grade School and
Lincoln High School, before receiving a scholarship to
Barnard College in 1939. She received a degree in mathematics from the college in 1943, where she studied under dancer
Martha Graham. == Career ==