Geraldine Pittman Woods
Geraldine Pittman Woods | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | December 27, 1999 | (aged 78)
Alma mater | Howard University Radcliffe College |
Known for | Science administration |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Embryology |
Geraldine Pittman Woods (January 29, 1921 – December 27, 1999) was an American science administrator. She is known for her lifelong dedication to community service and for establishing programs that promote
Early life and education
Woods was born January 29, 1921, in West Palm Beach, Florida, to Susie (King) and Oscar Pittman. In the fourth grade, Woods transferred from a private Episcopalian school to Industrial High School, the only public school in the area that allowed African-American students. She graduated from high school in 1938 and attended Talladega College, a historically black college in Talladega, Alabama.[3]
Neither of her parents had higher than an eighth grade education,[4] and Woods's father died when she was a teenager,[3] but her mother was very adamant about Woods doing well in school. Woods once stated:
"My mother paid for everything. She had a tremendous commitment to education in general and my education in particular... Since she was always aware that she never had the opportunity to get an education, she wanted me, her only child, to have all the education I desired."[2]
In 1940, Woods's mother fell ill and was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. In order to be closer to her, Woods transferred to Howard University in Washington, D.C.[4] At Howard University, Woods excelled in biology and other science classes.[4] Dr. Louis Hansborough, a professor at Howard, encouraged her to continue studying embryology after graduation in 1942. Woods then attended a Radcliffe College and Harvard University partnership program to earn a master of science degree in 1943 and a Ph.D. in neuro-embryology in 1945.[2]
In 1945 she was also elected into
Career
1940s–1950s
After earning her doctorate, Woods briefly took a position as an instructor at Howard University, her alma mater, until 1946. She then took a 25-year hiatus from science to focus on her family.[2]
1960s
Woods became heavily involved with local volunteering and community affairs, particularly those pertaining to minorities.
She was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta, a historically African American sorority, for decades, and she served two terms as national president from 1963 to 1967.[8] Under her leadership, in 1967 Delta Sigma Theta founded The Delta Research and Educational Foundation (DREF), a nonprofit[9] that aids organizations with foundations in community service.[5]
Woods's feats in community development caught the eye of
1970s
From 1968 through 1972 she continued her work in community service as the vice chair of the Community Relations Conference of Southern California.[3]
In 1972 two national programs Woods worked on at NIGMS, the Minority Access to Research Careers Program (MARC) and the Minority Biomedical Research Support Program (MBRS), were finally initiated, though she had trouble persuading administrators at Black colleges to get involved.[2] At that point many were wary because of the long years they'd been out of the spotlight.[2]
As of 1978, Woods served as chairman of the board of trustees of Howard University. During her tenure, she spoke at the dedication of Elizabeth Catlett's sculpture Students Aspire.[10]
1980s–1990s
By 1980, the MARC and MBRS had increased in popularity and hundreds of students were benefitting from the programs across the country.[2] Along with her other notable leadership positions, Woods headed Howard University's board of trustees from 1975 to 1988.[5]
She eventually retired from the NIH and many of her leadership positions in 1991.[3]
Awards and honors
Woods has earned numerous awards for her dedication to community service and minority rights, including the Mary Church Terrell Award of Delta Sigma Theta and the Scroll of Merit of the National Medical Association in 1979, the Howard University Achievement Award in 1980, and a Distinguished Leadership Achievement Award from the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education in 1987.[11]
In 1978, the sixth annual
A
Personal life
During her time as an instructor at Howard, she met and married Robert Woods, a dentistry student at Meharry Medical College.[3] After he graduated from dentistry school they moved to Los Angeles, California[11] where Woods put her career on hold to raise their three children,[3][11] Jan, Jerri, and Robert.[14]
Woods once said, "I was so busy 'driving' that I couldn't find time to research and write. But I think I made a lasting contribution to science nevertheless."[2]
After a long illness Woods died on December 27, 1999, in her Aliso Viejo home.[5]
References
- ^ ISBN 9781851099986.
- ^ ISBN 978-0253336033.
- ^ ISBN 978-0816041305.
- ^ ISBN 978-0897749558.
- ^ a b c d e Woo, Elaine (January 5, 2000). "Geraldine Woods; Scientists Helped Launch Head Start". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
- ^ a b "Black History Month: A Medical Perspective: Chronology of Achievements". Duke University Medical Center Library and Archives. Duke University Medical Center. July 16, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
- ^ a b "Important Events in MARC and MBRS History". National Institute of General Medical Sciences Minority Program Update. National Institute of General Medical Sciences. 2002. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
- ^ "Geraldine Pittman Woods (Omega Omega Chapter) 13th National President (1963–1967)". Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
- ^ "Chapter Programs". New Haven Alumnae. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. November 18, 2015. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
- ^ "Program for the unveiling of Elizabeth Catlett's sculpture Students Aspire, 1978 May 12, from the Elizabeth Catlett papers, 1957–1980". Archives of American Art. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-1598841589.
- ^ "Board of Trustees". Howard University Office of the Secretary. Howard University. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
- ^ "ABRCMS Commemorates NIGMS Anniversaries". National Institute of General Medical Sciences Minority Program Update. National Institute of General Medical Sciences. 2003. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- ^ Athey, Susan (2000). "Minority Programs Update". National Institute of General Medical Sciences. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved November 18, 2015.