Independent Historian

Eleanor Mahoney is a doctoral student of United States history at the University of Washington in Seattle, focusing on labor, the environment, memory and place in late nineteenth and twentieth-century America. She received a Bachelor of Arts in French and History from Amherst College and a Masters in Public History from Loyola University Chicago. She has previously worked for the National Park Service as Assistant National Coordinator for Heritage Areas and for a variety of heritage conservation and labor organizations in Appalachia, the Chesapeake Bay region and New Mexico.

Betty Wright Harris (1940- )

An accomplished organic analytical chemist, Dr. Betty Wright Harris is widely recognized as a leading expert on explosives, environmental remediation, and hazardous waste treatment. In 1986, she patented a simple and extremely sensitive spot test for the presence of 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB). Her innovation allowed the military and private … Read MoreBetty Wright Harris (1940- )

James Edward Maceo West (1931- )

The work of James Edward Maceo West transformed the way people around the world hear and transmit sound. In 1962, West, then a research scientist at Bell Laboratories, developed the foil electret microphone in partnership with his colleague Dr. Gerhard M. Sessler. Until that time, most microphones, which transform … Read MoreJames Edward Maceo West (1931- )

Marion Antoinette Richards Myles (1917-1969)

Dr. Marion Antoinette Richards Myles, a scientist with expertise in plant physiology, including the effects of drugs and hormones on plant growth, played a significant role in integrating higher education in the American south. In 1965, she became the first African American faculty member of the University of Mississippi Medical School, with an … Read MoreMarion Antoinette Richards Myles (1917-1969)

Frederick D. Stubbs (1906-1947)

A prominent thoracic surgeon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. Frederick Douglass Stubbs made important contributions to the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. He completed extensive training in thoracic (chest) medicine during and after medical school, including a yearlong residency at Sea View Hospital in Staten Island, New York, that concentrated on … Read MoreFrederick D. Stubbs (1906-1947)

Renty B. Franklin (1945- )

Through his groundbreaking research on hormones and mineral levels in the blood, Dr. Renty Benjamin Franklin, a physiologist, made major contributions to our understanding of prostate function and prostate cancer. A tenured full professor at the University of Maryland Dental School and an expert on glandular function, Franklin published widely throughout his career, … Read MoreRenty B. Franklin (1945- )

Helen Octavia Dickens (1909-2001)

The first African American woman to be admitted as a fellow to the American College of Surgeons (1950), Helen Octavia Dickens dedicated her career to women’s health and well-being, with a particular focus on the lives of young women, low-income women, and women of color. A board-certified obstetrician/ … Read MoreHelen Octavia Dickens (1909-2001)

Harold Amos (1918-2003)

The first African American to chair a department of the Harvard Medical School, Dr. Harold Amos was an esteemed teacher, researcher, and mentor at the institution for more than four decades. Amos dedicated much of his career to supporting the advancement of historically underrepresented individuals and communities … Read MoreHarold Amos (1918-2003)

Julian H. Lewis (1891-1989)

An accomplished scientist, physician, and educator, Dr. Julian Herman Lewis challenged racism in the American medical and scientific communities in his prominent 1942 text Biology of the Negro. Drawing on his background as both a doctor and as a recipient of a Ph.D. in physiology and pathology, Lewis demonstrated … Read MoreJulian H. Lewis (1891-1989)

William Harry Barnes (1887-1945)

Over the course of three decades in the early twentieth century, Dr. William Harry Barnes greatly influenced the field of otolaryngology, a medical subspecialty focused on the ear, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. An accomplished surgeon and researcher, Barnes’ used his surgical acumen to … Read MoreWilliam Harry Barnes (1887-1945)

John Francis (1946- )

Dr. John Francis is a conservationist, scholar, educator, and best-selling author. He holds a Ph.D. in Land Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has served as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. Francis is perhaps best known for forsaking motorized vehicle transport to instead travel the country by foot, … Read MoreJohn Francis (1946- )