WiLS Women Spotlight - August 2020

Dr. Marie M. Daly
 

Dr. Daly was born in Queens, New York in 1921 to a family that greatly valued education. She exemplified this trait by receiving a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1942 and subsequently finishing a masters degree in just one year. In 1947, Dr. Daly graduated from Columbia University, unknowingly becoming the first African American woman to graduate with a PhD in chemistry in the United States. Her research included studying histones and the foundational observation that “no bases other than adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine were present in appreciable amounts” in the nuclei of cells. She also was the first to link high cholesterol diets with clogged arteries and hypertension. In addition to these scientific achievements, she was passionate about increasing enrollment of minority groups in medical and graduate programs. In 1988 she established a scholarship fund for African American students studying science at Queens College. Check out the links below to learn more about Dr. Marie M. Daly.

More about Dr. Marie Daly’s life and research:

https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/marie-maynard-daly

The second half of this podcast is about Dr. Daly and has some additional details about her research:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/813023/4755926-lab-entry-14-dr-mae-jemison-dr-marie-maynard-daly

Another more detailed article about Dr. Daly:

https://medium.com/sci-illustrate-stories/marie-maynard-daly-9cca344c46d3

Bessie Stringfield
 

Bessie Stringfield or “The Motorcycle Queen of Miami” as she later became known, was the first African American woman to ride a motorcycle solo across the United States. Although some details about her life are uncertain (where she was born and what year is disputed), her lasting legacy is unquestionable. By the age of 16 she had taught herself to ride a motorcycle and a few years later in 1930, she began her first solo trip across the country. She would go on to complete many trips across the US, some as a civilian courier for the US Army during WWII. She rode her bike her entire life, often financing these trips through performing motorcycle stunts at carnivals. Following her death in 1993 (at age 81 or 82), the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) created the “Bessie Stringfield Memorial Award” in her honor to recognize outstanding women motorcyclists. In 2002, Stringfield was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame. See additional resources below to learn more about Bessie Stringfield. 

Bessie Stringfield’s obituary in the NYT:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/obituaries/overlooked-bessie-stringfield.html  

An article detailing Stringfield’s life and legacy:

https://ironandair.com/blogs/news/bessie-stringfield

A short 2.5 minute video about Stringfield:

https://timeline.com/watch-meet-bessie-stringfield-the-black-motorcycle-queen-9e2e6951a0d4