|
Ruth Mary Rogan Benerito's most well-known contributions are in the field of cellulose chemistry. Through her research, crease-resistant cotton threads were developed, resulting in "wash and wear" fabrics common today. As Merton Flemings, Director of the Lemelson-MIT Program, said, "It's safe to say that Ruth Benerito has made us all more comfortable in our clothes over the years." She has been honored for this achievement by the American Chemical Society (Garvan Medal, 1970; Southwest Regional Award, 1972), by the Lemelson-MIT Program (Lifetime Achievement Award, 2002), and by her alma mater, Tulane University (honorary degree, 1981). In addition, she holds 55 patents.
Ruth Mary Rogan, the third oldest of six children, was born on January 12, 1916 in New Orleans. Her father, John Edward Rogan, was a civil engineer and her mother, Bernadette Elizardi, was an artist. Ruth was a brilliant child with an aptitude for science and mathematics. She entered Sophie Newcomb College, the women's college of Tulane, when she was fifteen. She earned her B.S. degree in chemistry (with minors in mathematics and physics) in 1935 at age 19. During the next three years, which coincided with the height of the Depression, Ruth held a variety of jobs while she completed her M.S. in physics under the direction of Rose Mooney at Newcomb College.
Benerito taught at Randolph Macon Women's College from 1940 to 1943; she then returned to Sophie Newcomb College as a faculty member to teach physical chemistry. From 1943 until 1948 she also worked during summers and on a leave to obtain her Ph.D. in physical chemistry under Dr. Thomas F. Young at the University of Chicago. She stayed at Newcomb until 1953, when she joined the Southern Regional Research Center of the USDA in the Intravenous Fat Program of the Oilseed Laboratory. Here her work focused on the surface and interface actions of triglycerides and resulted in the development and stabilization of intravenous fat emulsions.
In 1958, Ruth Benerito became research leader of the Physical Chemistry Research Group of the Cotton Chemical Reactions Laboratory, where she remained until her retirement in 1986. It was during this period that she carried out her fundamental research on cellulose-esterification and cellulose-epoxide reactions. She found that cellulose fibers would not form creases when specific monofunctional reagents, incapable of cross-linking between the cellulose strands, were bonded to the cellulose. She also studied the effects these groups had on the re-entry of water into the network and the entropy changes involved, and the ability of these monofunctional groups to participate in hydrogen bonding.
Ruth Mary Rogan married Frank H. Benerito in 1950; they lived in New Orleans. He died in 1970.
Ruth Benerito retired from the USDA in 1986. She continues to be active in chemistry through teaching. She is a professor of chemistry at the University of New Orleans and professor emeritus at Tulane Medical School, Department of Biochemistry, and Tulane University Graduate School.
|
This short biographical "snapshot" provides basic information about the person's chemical work, gender, ethnicity, and cultural background. A list of references is given along with additional WWW sites to further your exploration into the life and work of this chemist.