Features
The Untold Stories of Black History
The Knightly News is highlighting nine Black and African Americans across various fields who have broken barriers and distinguished themselves through their lives and careers.
Marie Maynard Daly
Biochemist Marie Maynard Daly is recognized as the first Black American woman to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry in the United States. As a graduate from Queens College and Columbia University, Maynard was determined to fulfill her father’s passion of professionally studying chemistry, a dream that had fallen through for him due to financial troubles. Under the guidance of Mary L. Caldwell, Daly studied cholesterol and the digestive systems of the body, an initiative she was later rewarded for with an official doctorate degree. Daly went on to study DNA, focusing on the composition and properties of histone proteins. Ultimately, her participation in both fields of studies have shaped our basic understanding and encouraged further research into biochemistry, an impact that has continued to affect the industry today. By the end of her life, Daly set up the Ivan C. and Helen H. Daly Scholarship Endowment at Queens College, an academic scholarship targeted towards minority students studying physical sciences. A tribute to her father, the fund reminds today’s students that curiosity and tenacity are key factors of growth, no matter the obstacles that may need to be overcome.
The Knightly News 