Gloria Long Anderson facts for kids

Gloria Long Anderson is a brilliant chemist and professor. She was born on November 5, 1938. She is known for her important work in a field called nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This is a special way to study how atoms behave. She also studied fluorine-19 and special fuels for rockets. Dr. Anderson has been a professor of chemistry at Morris Brown College and even served as its interim president. She also helped lead the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which creates public TV and radio shows.

Early Life and Growing Up

Gloria Long Anderson grew up in Altheimer, Arkansas. She was born in 1938. She was the fourth of six children and the only girl. She often played sports with her brothers, like basketball and softball. She didn't feel different for being the only girl.

Her parents, Elsie Lee Foggie Long and Charles Long, worked hard. Her mother was a seamstress, and her father was a sharecropper. Later, they both worked at the Pine Bluff Arsenal. Gloria learned to help with farm work. She later said they didn't realize they were living in poverty back then.

Her parents really wanted her and her brothers to get a good education. Gloria started elementary school at age four, even though she was very young. She already knew how to read! She went to schools that were only for African American students at the time. Her teachers were all African American and encouraged their students a lot. They pushed them to do well and cared deeply about their success. Gloria was an excellent student. She skipped grades and graduated high school as the top student in 1954, when she was just 16.

There weren't many job options for African American women in Altheimer. So, Gloria decided to go to college. She didn't plan to study science at first. She thought about physical education or interior decorating.

Her Amazing Education Journey

College Years

Gloria started college at the Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical, and Normal College. This was a state school for African Americans. She earned a scholarship in her first year. Then, she received a special Rockefeller Foundation College Scholarship because of her excellent grades. As part of this scholarship, she helped teach chemistry classes. She also worked in a candy factory during the summer.

Even though she hadn't studied chemistry in high school, she took chemistry classes on a dare! People thought chemistry was the hardest major. She graduated in 1958 with degrees in chemistry and mathematics. She was the top student in her class of 237. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at her graduation, and he inspired her throughout her life.

Gloria wanted to go to graduate school at Stanford University, but she couldn't get enough money. She was also turned down for a chemist job at the Ralston Purina Company because she was African-American. She later realized this rejection actually helped her find a better path.

Master's Degree Studies

With no other options, Gloria taught seventh grade for six months. She taught geography, reading, and math. Then, she got a special grant from the National Science Foundation. This allowed her to study for her master's degree in chemistry at Atlanta University.

She almost stopped her studies when she got married in 1960 because of money problems. But Dr. Kimuel Alonzo Huggins, her chemistry department chair, helped her. He gave her research funding so she could keep studying in his lab. She earned her master's degree in organic chemistry in 1961. Her thesis was about making a chemical called butadiene.

After her master's, she taught for a year at South Carolina State College. Then she moved back to Atlanta to Morehouse College. There, she met Dr. Henry Cecil McBay, who was known as the "father of black chemists in the United States." He helped many talented African American chemists. Gloria worked for him as a chemistry instructor and research assistant for two years. She loved teaching organic chemistry because it helped her learn even more. Dr. McBay encouraged her to get her PhD.

Earning Her PhD

In 1965, Gloria started her PhD studies at the University of Chicago. She received help for her research and teaching. In her first year, she was the only Black, full-time organic chemistry student. She faced challenges, including failing an important exam. But she didn't give up. She studied hard and got a job offer to work with Dr. Leon Stock. He gave her a difficult task: to make a chemical called 9-fluora-anthracene from a French paper. Gloria bought a French dictionary, translated the paper, and successfully completed the experiment on her first try! She then passed her exam.

She continued her research with Dr. Stock. She worked on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and studied fluorine-19. She was a pioneer in using fluorine NMR spectroscopy. This was a new field, and she was one of the few who knew how to use the equipment. She worked hard, doing lab research during the day and writing her dissertation at night. She earned her PhD in physical organic chemistry in 1968. Her thesis was about fluorine-19 in different molecules. She even came up with a new term, "substituent chemical shift," in her paper.

A Career Dedicated to Science and Education

Working in Academia

After getting her PhD in 1968, Dr. Anderson decided to work at a historically Black college. She felt this was her way to contribute to the American civil rights movement, especially after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. She knew some friends thought this choice might hurt her career. But she wanted to help students at Black colleges get the same great education she had received.

She became the chair of the chemistry department at Morris Brown College in Atlanta. She made many improvements to the department. She chose to stay at Morris Brown because the college helped students from all backgrounds succeed. Besides teaching, she also did post-doctoral research at the Georgia Institute of Technology during the summers.

Dr. Anderson was told that Morris Brown was mainly for teaching, not research. But she loved research and was determined to do it. She worked evenings, Saturdays, and Sundays on her research. She continued studying fluorine-19 and its reactions. Her work also included studies on rocket fuels, medicines that fight viruses, and other chemical compounds. She even received patents for her work in 2001 and 2009.

Getting money for her research was often difficult, partly due to racism at the time. She sometimes used her own salary to pay for her research and even paid students out of her own pocket. She was determined to do research no matter what.

In 1973, she became the Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Chemistry and Chair. She also served as Dean of Academic Affairs. She worked as a research fellow for the National Science Foundation and as a consultant for Lockheed Georgia Corporation. She also worked with the U.S. Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory.

Dr. Anderson was Morris Brown's interim president twice, in 1992-1993 and in 1998. She was also Dean of Science and Technology. As of 2009, she was still the Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Chemistry. By 2011, she was working as an assistant to the president of Morris Brown College.

She was recognized as one of the brightest scientists in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1983 by Atlanta Magazine. She was also named among the Outstanding Black Educators in Atlanta in 1991.

Contributions Outside of Academia

Beyond her work at the college, Dr. Anderson was appointed by President Richard Nixon to the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in 1972. She served for seven years. At the CPB, she worked to encourage positive portrayals of minorities in public broadcasting. She also led committees focused on training and human resources development for minorities and women.

Throughout her career, Dr. Anderson held many leadership roles on boards and committees. She was involved with public broadcasting in Atlanta and served on an advisory committee for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Personal Life

Gloria married Leonard Sinclair Anderson, a schoolteacher, in 1960. While she was studying for her PhD in Chicago, Leonard also earned his master's degree in music. Gloria managed her studies, research, and household duties. They divorced in 1977. Gloria has one son, Gerald, born in 1961.

Dr. Anderson often had to prove herself in her chemistry career. She said, "I have always had to prove myself wherever I went." But once she showed her skills, she didn't have problems. She encourages young scientists by saying, "You can do anything that you want to do. You can be anything that you want to be. However, you must be determined. You must work hard. You must not let anyone define who you are and what you can do." She also shared advice from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Don't go out to be the best black scientist, Go out to be the best scientist."

Honors and Awards

Dr. Gloria Long Anderson is a member of important scientific groups like the American Chemical Society and the National Institute of Science.

She has received many awards and honors throughout her career, including:

• Rockefeller Scholarship (1956-1958)
• Awards from the National Association of Media Women (1978)
• Outstanding Black Women award (1979)
• Faculty Industrial Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation (1981)
• Certificate of Appreciation from the State of Georgia (1982)
• Scroll of Honour from the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women (1983)
• Faculty Research Fellowship from the Air Force Office for Scientific Research (1984)
• Appreciation Award from the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (1984)
• Presidential Citation for honoring her alma mater (1986)
• Alumni All-Star Excellence Award in Education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (1987)
• YWCA Salute to Women of Achievement (1989)
• UNCF Distinguished Scholar Award from the United Negro College Fund (1989-1990)
• "Women of Color in the Struggle" award (1991)
• "A Salute to Black Mothers" award (1992, 1998)
• A special "Gloria Long Anderson Day" Proclamation from the City of Atlanta, Georgia (1993)
• Outstanding Georgia Citizen award (1998)
• Scroll of Honor Award from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (2002)

She also received many teaching awards from Morris Brown College, such as:

• Outstanding Service Award (1970, 1977)
• Outstanding Teacher (1976)
• Teacher of the Year Award (1983)
• Faculty/Staff Hall of Fame (1983)
• Special Service Award (1983)
• Appreciation Awards from various programs at Morris Brown College (1983, 1985, 1989-1990, 1991, 1996, 1997)
• Outstanding Education Award (1999)

Many plaques have also been dedicated in her honor, recognizing her achievements and contributions.