Hellen M. Linkswiler (January 5, 1912 – June 24, 1984) was an American dietitian and nutrition scientist who researched human mineral requirements and amino acids. She was a professor of foods and nutrition at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

from 1960 to 1981.

Life

Linkswiler was born in

Lawton, Oklahoma Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Ce ...

on January 5, 1912, to Cleveland and Agnes Linkswiler. She had eight siblings and was raised during the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of both natural factors (severe drought) an ...

. In 1932, she graduated from Pawnee High School. She earned a B.S. in home economics education with a minor in English from the

Oklahoma State University–Stillwater Oklahoma State University–Stillwater (officially Oklahoma State University; informally Oklahoma State, OK State, OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma. OSU was founded in 1890 under the Morrill Act. Originall ...

in 1939. From 1944 to 1946, Linkswiler served in the

SPARS The United States Coast Guard (USCG) Women's Reserve, also known as the SPARS (SPARS was the acronym for "Semper Paratus—Always Ready"), was the women's branch of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. It was established by the United States ...

during which time she worked as a

dietitian A dietitian, medical dietitian, or dietician is an expert in identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition and in conducting medical nutrition therapy, for example designing an enteral tube feeding regimen or mitigating the effects of ca ...

overseeing the baking of hundreds of pies per day. She researched

vitamin B6 Vitamin B6 is one of the B vitamins, and thus an essential nutrient. The term refers to a group of six chemically similar compounds, i.e., "vitamers", which can be interconverted in biological systems. Its active form, pyridoxal 5′-phosphat ...

metabolism at the

's department of foods and nutrition. She earned a M.S. in food and nutrition under May Reynolds in 1946 and a Ph.D. with a joint major in food and nutrition and biochemistry in 1951. Reynolds and Carl A. Baumann were her doctoral advisors. Linkswiler joined the department of food and nutrition at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

as an associate professor from 1951 to 1954. She was a professor of foods and nutrition at the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a public land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the Morrill Act of 1862, the school was known as the Universit ...

from 1954 to 1960. While there, she became friends with faculty member Hazel Fox. They conducted studies on amino acids in corn. Linkswiler also researched human mineral requirements. In 1960, she joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin –Madison as a professor in the department of foods and nutrition and was paid annually. Following the retirement of her doctoral advisor Reynolds in 1962, she assumed some of her responsibilities. From 1976 to 1979, Linkswiler was treasuer-elect and treasurer of the

American Society of Clinical Nutrition American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, the first non-physician to be elected to an office at the society. She retired in 1981 and was granted emeritus status. In 1983, she became a fellow of the

American Institute of Nutrition The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) is an American society for professional researchers and practitioners in the field of nutrition. ASN publishes four journals in the field of nutrition. It has been criticized for its financial ties to the ...

Personal life

Linswiler was a member of the Westwood Christian Church. In 1960, a bank required that she have a male cosigner to qualify her for a mortgage when she moved to

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

. Linkswiler died June 24, 1984, of cancer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Linkswiler, Hellen 1912 births 1984 deaths People from Lawton, Oklahoma American women nutritionists Fellows of the American Society for Nutrition American dietitians Nutritional scientists 20th-century American women scientists Scientists from Oklahoma Oklahoma State University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Alabama faculty University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty SPARS personnel