Howard University Radcliffe College Harvard University
Which school did Geraldine Pittman Woods go to in Jun 1940?
Geraldine Pittman Woods 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 minorities in STEM fields , scientific research , and basic research . 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 . Neither of her parents had higher than an eighth grade education , and Woodss father died when she was a teenager , 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.In 1940 , Woodss 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 . At Howard University , Woods excelled in biology and other science classes . 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 . In 1945 she was also elected into Phi Beta Kappa , a national honors society , for her scholastic achievements . 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 . 1960s . Woods became heavily involved with local volunteering and community affairs , particularly those pertaining to minorities . Over time , her volunteer efforts expanded to national levels . Starting in 1963 , she served a four-year term on the Personnel Board of the California Department of Employment . The following year , she became a member of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences ( NIGMS ) , an institute of the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) . Later , in 1964 , Dr . Geraldine P . Woods became the first African American woman appointed to the National Advisory General Medical Services ( NAGMS ) Council , an advisory board for NIGMS . In this position , she addressed the need to improve science education and research opportunities at minority institutions . In 1969 NIGMS appointed her as a special consultant , a highly revered position . 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 . Under her leadership , in 1967 Delta Sigma Theta founded The Delta Research and Educational Foundation ( DREF ) , a nonprofit that aids organizations with foundations in community service . Woodss feats in community development caught the eye of First Lady Claudia Alta Taylor Lady Bird Johnson in 1965 , thus Woods was invited to the White House to help launch the Head Start Program , a US anti-poverty program , with Delta Sigma Theta . Then , in 1968 , President Lyndon B . Johnson himself appointed her Chairman of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services , a committee that aids women serving in the US Armed Forces . 1970s . From 1968 through 1972 she continued her work in community service as the vice chair of the Community Relations Conference of Southern California . 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 . At that point many were wary because of the long years theyd been out of the spotlight . 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 Catletts sculpture Students Aspire . 1980s–1990s . By 1980 the MARC and MBRS had increased in popularity and hundreds of students were benefitting from the programs across the country . Along with her other notable leadership positions , Woods headed Howard Universitys Board of Trustees from 1975 to 1988 . She eventually retired from the NIH and many of her leadership positions in 1991 . 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 . In 1978 , the sixth annual NIGMS Minority Biomedical Support ( MBS ) symposium held at the Atlanta University Center in Georgia was dedicated to Woods . The Federal City Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority , Inc . recognized Woodss contributions to the sorority by establishing the Geraldine P . Woods Sciences Award in 1994 . At the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students ( ABRCMS ) in 2003 , NIGMS unveiled the Geraldine Woods Award because of her pivotal role in the development of the MBRS and MARC , two NIH minority programs . This award recognizes individuals who have had a significant impact in promoting the advancement of underrepresented minorities in biomedical science . A fellowship in biology at Howard University and one in chemistry at Atlanta University have both been established in her name . She has also earned honorary degrees at Benedict College , Talladega College , Fisk University , Bennett College , Meharry Medical College , and Howard University . Personal life . During her time as an instructor at Howard , she met and married Robert Woods , a dentistry student at Meharry Medical College . After he graduated from dentistry school they moved to Los Angeles , California where Woods put her career on hold to raise their three children , Jan , Jerri , and Robert . Woods once said , I was so busy driving that I couldnt find time to research and write . But I think I made a lasting contribution to science nevertheless . After a long illness Woods died on December 27 , 1999 in her Aliso Viejo home .