George C. Royal

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Dr. Gladys Royal (left), Dr. W. E. Reed (left center), R. L. Satoera (right center) and Dr. George Royal (right), with x-ray equipment, North Carolina A&T College, 1961

George Calvin Royal Jr (August 5, 1921 - November 24, 2016) was an American microbiologist. George C. Royal was also part of one of the few African-American husband-and-wife teams in science, working with Gladys W. Royal, Ph.D. on research supported by the United States Atomic Energy Commission. George C. Royal is a professor emeritus at Howard University.

Early life

Royal was born in Williamston, South Carolina,[1] in 1921, the oldest boy of nine children of African-American and Native American descent. His father, George Sr., owned an auto garage there before migrating his family to Urbana, Ohio, during the Great Depression.

College and early professional career

Royal attended

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University) in Greensboro from 1952 to 1955.[2]

Ph.D and beyond

In 1955 Royal gained admission to the

Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia from 1965 to 1966, he joined the faculty of Howard University from 1966 to 1993. He became professor emeritus in 1993.[2]

Partnership in marriage and work

Royal married Gladys Geraldine Williams in 1947 while attending the University of Wisconsin. Gladys W. Royal (1926–2002) was an African-American biochemist, who graduated from Dillard University with a B.Sc. at the age of 18 in 1944, received an M.Sc. from Tuskegee in 1954, and would receive her Ph.D. from Ohio State University several years later - a rare feat for an African-American female in the 1950s.[3] The Royals would collaborate on important research including that funded by the United States Atomic Energy Commission involving bone marrow transplants to treat radiation overdoses.[4][5][6][7][8]

African-American husband-and-wife teams in science were extremely rare in the early and mid-20th century due to the social, educational and economic climate regarding African Americans in the United States.[1][9]

Research

The Atomic Energy Commission supported at least five grants for funding research on bone marrow transplants, which were proposed jointly by George and Gladys W. Royal.[4][7] Their work was written and presented at various conferences, including the Fifth International Congress on Nutrition Washington, DC 1960[4] and the International Congress on Histochemistry and Cytochemistry held in Paris, France in 1960.[4]

George C. Royal collaborated at Howard University with Dr. Calvin Sampson and others to develop serological procedures having prognostic value in candidiasis;[10] with Dr. Arvind Nandedkar to study antigenic compounds associated with Candida albicans;[11] with Dr. Robert Watkins and Dr. Arvind Nandedkar to develop antibodies to nortriptyline as a method of reducing toxicity; and with Dr. Richard Garden in the department of Oral Surgery to study the effects of Chlorhexidine on the growth of clinical isolates of Candida species.

Positions

Descendants

Royal had six children: George Calvin Royal III,[1] Geraldine Gynnette Royal,[1] Guericke Christopher Royal,[1] jazz musician Gregory Charles Royal,[15] Michelle Renee McNear, and Eric Marcus Royal.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Husband-Wife Team's Project Draws International Interest". Afro-American: 10. September 10, 1960. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b "George Royal, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at Howard University". American Society For Microbiology. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  3. ISBN 978-0199742882
    . Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  4. ^
    ISBN 9780253336033
    . Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  5. ^ "A&T College Receives Grant of $16,915 From U. S. Atomic Energy Commission To Continue Research Begun In 1958". The A. & T. College Register. October 2, 1964. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  6. ^ "A&T Gets Special X-Ray Equipment". The A. & T. College Register. 13 January 1961. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  7. ^ a b "A-T profs awarded U.S. funds for study". The Afro American. Nov 17, 1962. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  8. ^ "Team out to add flavor to chicken". Washington Afro-American. August 18, 1964. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  9. ^ Davis, Marianna W. (1982). "Physical Chemists". Contributions of Black Women to America. Vol. 2. Columbia, SC: Kenday Press. pp. 446–447.
  10. PMID 7328688
    .
  11. PMID 6368841
    .
  12. ^ Elliott, Norman F.; Dally, Susan; Hollister, Richard L., eds. (1963). Patterson's American Education. Vol. LX. Mount Prospect, Illinois: Educational Directories Inc. p. 636. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  13. ^ Johnson-Thompson, Marian (2007). "Revisiting the Contributions of African-American Scientists to ASM" (PDF). Microbe. 2 (2): 82–87. Retrieved 15 August 2015.[permanent dead link]
  14. doi:10.1128/microbe.9.59.1
    .
  15. ^ "About Gregory Charles Royal". MTV.com. Retrieved 14 August 2015.

External links

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