Ruth Margery Addoms (1896–1951), was an American botanist at

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

specializing in the study of

plant anatomy Plant anatomy or phytotomy is the general term for the study of the internal structure of plants. Originally it included plant morphology, the description of the physical form and external structure of plants, but since the mid-20th century plant ...

and

plant physiology Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology (structure of plants), plant ecology (interactions with the environment), phytochemistry (bi ...

. She contributed to the study of growth-promoting substances in plants.Professor A.S. Pearce,
A History of Biology at Duke University
" Bios 20.1 (March, 1949), pp. 6-17.

Early life and education

Addoms was born in Haworth, New Jersey to Lucy M.C. Addoms and William Henry Addoms, who was an exporter in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

.Staff
"Ruth M. Addoms, Botany Professor"
'' The Brooklyn Daily Eagle'', August 31, 1951. Accessed March 31, 2016. "Born in Haworth, N. J., Miss Addoms attended Packer Collegiate Institute, Wellesley College, and the University of Wisconsin." Addoms attended Packer Collegiate Institute, in Brooklyn. She received her A.B. degree from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

in 1918. In 1921, she received her master's degree in Botany from Wellesley. In 1926, Addoms earned her

Doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

Scientific career

After earning her PhD, Addoms taught at Wellesley College and the University of Wisconsin. In 1930, she became a professor at Duke University, playing a crucial role in the development of Duke's Department of Botany and the Women's College. She was an active teacher and researcher for twenty years until her death in 1951. During her two decades at Duke, Addoms, with the help of her colleague

Lewis Edward Anderson Lewis Edward Anderson (June 16, 1912 – February 1, 2007) was an American botanist dedicated to the study of mosses, and was an expert on the North American bryoflora. Early life Anderson was born to a farming family in a rural area of Batesv ...

, built the institution's first general botany course. Addoms was one of the eight original members of Duke's Botany department, which split from the Biology Department in 1935. In that time, she trained one PhD and helped chair Doctor Hugo L. Blomquist build and promote the fledgling department. She contributed to several fields of plant anatomy and physiology. Most notably, Addoms was interested in promoting plant growth promotion.See, e.g., She also contributed to several textbooks on growth-promoting chemicals, as well as a general textbook on botany.

Honors and legacy

Addoms was active both in civil and academic life. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, she was the chairman of the

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

chapter of the British War Relief Society and a member of the city's Civil Defense organization during World War II. She also served as an active member of the local Girl Scout Council since its formation. Professionally, she was a member and leader of many professional organization, such as

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

, Sigma Xi, Sigma Delta Epsilon, the

Botanical Society of America The Botanical Society of America (BSA) represents professional and amateur botanists, researchers, educators and students in over 80 countries of the world. It functions as a United States nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership society. History The soci ...

, and was a charter member of the

American Society of Plant Physiologists 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 ...

. In 1956, the Duke Women's College would be building a new

dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

partly in her name, the Gilbert-Addoms Residence Hall commemorating her service the college, to the Duke department of Botany, and her contributions to the field.

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Addoms, Ruth Margery 1896 births 1951 deaths American women botanists American botanists People from Haworth, New Jersey Duke University faculty Wellesley College alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni 20th-century American women American women academics

Early life and education

Scientific career

Honors and legacy

Selected publications

See also

References