In 1943 Gordon Alexander McHenry became the first African American engineer hired by the Boeing Company in Seattle, Washington. He was later promoted to Boeing Executive management (1955). Prior to 1943 Boeing labor unions had hindered the hiring of African American engineers. During his forty-year … Read MoreGordon Alexander McHenry (1921-2001)
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Walter Samuel McAfee, theoretical physicist, professor, and civil servant was born in Ore City, Texas to Susie and Luther McAfee on September 2, 1914. His father, Luther McAfee, was a mechanic and carpenter, while his mother, Susie, was an educator. McAfee … Read MoreWalter Samuel McAfee (1914-1995)
Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1906, Thomas Nelson Baker was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry from The Ohio State University. The third child of Rev. Dr. Thomas Nelson Baker, Sr. and Elizabeth (Lizzie) Baytop Baker, Thomas had one brother, Harry … Read MoreThomas Nelson Baker Jr. (1906-1977)
Harold Bethuel Evans, research chemist, was born on October 31, 1907 in Brazil, Indiana. Evans attended Michigan State University for his undergraduate degree beginning in 1927; he majored in applied science and graduated in 1931. In 1932 he received his master’s degree in science from … Read MoreHarold Bethuel Evans (1907-1995)
George Sherman Carter, research chemist, was born on May 10, 1911 in Gloucester County, Virginia. Carter, called Sherman, was one of four boys and one girl born to George Peter and Emily Maude Carter. Not much is known of Carter’s childhood or of his move … Read MoreGeorge Sherman Carter (1911-1998)
Sylvanus Alexander Tyler, mathematician and biostatistician, was born on August 21, 1914 to Daniel and Jesse Tyler. Tyler was raised in Chicago, Illinois along with his two younger brothers, Homer and Daniel, all of whom attended the city’s public schools. Tyler received his bachelor’s degree … Read MoreSylvanus Alexander Tyler Sr. (1914-1986)
Dr. Lawrence Howland Knox, noted chemist, was born on September 30, 1906 in New Bedford, Massachusetts to William Jacob and Estella Knox. Knox was one of five children, two girls and three boys, and remarkably for that time, all of the boys earned PhDs; the … Read MoreLawrence Howland Knox (1906-1966)
Born in Florence, South Carolina, October 19, 1922, Benjamin Franklin Scott was an African American chemist who worked on the Manhattan Project in World War II. The son of Benny and Viola Scott, Benjamin had two older sisters, Mary and Rosa. Scott earned his Bachelor … Read MoreBenjamin Franklin Scott (1922-2000)
Image Courtesy of Sargeant Memorial Chronicles (Winter 2008), Sargeant Memorial Room, Pretlow Library, Norfolk, VA Born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1921, physicist Robert Johnson Omohundro was one of a select few black scientists and technicians to work on the Manhattan Project and thus contribute to … Read MoreRobert Johnson Omohundro (1921-2000)
Image Ownership: Public Domain Born May 31, 1918 in Philadelphia, Lloyd Albert Quarterman, a chemist, was one of the few African American scientists and technicians to work on the Manhattan Project, the top secret effort to design and build the atomic bomb during World War II. Quarterman … Read MoreLloyd Albert Quarterman (1918-1982)