Gloria Long Anderson facts for kids

Gloria Long Anderson (born November 5, 1938) is a famous American chemist. She is known for her important work with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a way to study atoms. She also researched fluorine-19 and special fuels for rockets.

Dr. Anderson has been a professor of chemistry at Morris Brown College. She also served as the college's interim president and was a leader at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Early Life and Childhood

Gloria Long Anderson was born on November 5, 1938, in Altheimer, Arkansas. She grew up there as the fourth of six children, and the only girl. She often played sports with her brothers, like basketball and softball.

Her parents, Elsie Lee Foggie Long and Charles Long, worked hard. Her mother was a seamstress, and her father was a sharecropper, which means he farmed land owned by someone else. They lived in a community where Black and white people lived separately due to segregation laws. Gloria later said they didn't realize they were living in poverty.

Her parents really valued education. They let Gloria start elementary school at age four, and she already knew how to read! She went to segregated public schools, including the Altheimer Training School. Her teachers, all African American, encouraged her to do well. She was a brilliant student and finished high school as the top student at age 16 in 1954.

Education and Learning

Gloria didn't plan to study science at first. She thought about becoming a physical education teacher or an interior decorator. But her path led her to chemistry!

College Years

Anderson started college at the Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical, and Normal College. This was a state-supported school for African Americans. She earned a scholarship and later a special Rockefeller Foundation scholarship because of her excellent grades. She even worked as a teaching assistant in chemistry classes.

She chose chemistry as her major on a dare, because it was known as the hardest subject! She graduated in 1958 as the top student in her class. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at her graduation, which inspired her throughout her life.

After college, she wanted to go to graduate school at Stanford University, but she couldn't get enough money. She was also turned down for a job as a chemist because she was African American.

Master's Degree

With no other options, Anderson taught seventh grade for a short time. Then, she received a grant to study for her Master's degree in chemistry at Atlanta University. She almost quit because of money problems after she got married in 1960. But her professor, Dr. Kimuel Alonzo Huggins, helped her get research funding so she could continue.

She earned her Master's degree in organic chemistry in 1961. Her research was about making a chemical called butadiene.

After her Master's, she taught at South Carolina State University for a year. Then, she moved back to Atlanta to teach at Morehouse College. There, she met Dr. Henry Cecil McBay, who was known for helping talented African American chemists. He encouraged her to get her PhD.

Earning a PhD

In 1965, Anderson began her PhD studies at the University of Chicago. She was the only Black, full-time organic chemistry student in her first year. She faced challenges, including failing an exam, but she worked hard to prove herself.

She got a job as a research assistant with Dr. Leon Stock. He gave her a difficult task: to make a chemical called 9-fluora-anthracene from a French paper. Gloria had never studied French, so she bought a dictionary, translated the paper, and successfully completed the experiment on her first try! She later passed her exam.

She continued her research with Dr. Stock, focusing on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and fluorine-19. She became a pioneer in using fluorine NMR spectroscopy. She earned her PhD in physical organic chemistry in 1968. Her research helped explain how different parts of molecules affect each other.

Amazing Career

Working in Academia

After getting her PhD, Dr. Anderson decided to work at a historically Black college. She felt this was her way of contributing to the civil rights movement after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. She turned down offers from other universities to stay true to this goal.

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.

Even though she was told Morris Brown was mainly for teaching, Dr. Anderson was determined to do research. She said, "I did it in on my own time. I worked in the evenings and on Saturdays and Sundays. (...) I love research, and I still love research."

Her research focused on fluorine-19 and its reactions. She also studied epoxidation (a type of chemical reaction), solid-fuel rocket propellants, and medicines that fight viruses. She even received patents for her work in 2001 and 2009.

Getting money for her research was often hard, and she believed this was due to racism at the time. She sometimes used her own money to pay students and fund her research.

In 1973, she became the Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Chemistry. She also served as Dean of Academic Affairs and was interim president of Morris Brown College twice. As of 2011, she works as an assistant to the president.

Atlanta Magazine named her one of the brightest scientists in Atlanta in 1983. She was also recognized as an Outstanding Black Educator.

Beyond the Classroom

Outside of her college work, President Richard Nixon appointed Dr. Anderson to the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in 1972. She served for seven years and worked to encourage positive portrayals of minorities in public broadcasting.

She has held many leadership roles on boards and committees, including 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, Leonard also earned his master's degree in music. They had one son, Gerald, born in 1961. They later divorced in 1977.

Dr. Anderson has often shared how she had to prove herself in her career. She said, "I have always had to prove myself wherever I went." But once people saw her skills, she had no more 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 shares 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 groups like the American Chemical Society.

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

• Rockefeller Scholarship (1956-1958)
• Faculty Industrial Research Fellowship, National Science Foundation (1981)
• Outstanding Georgia Citizen, State of Georgia (1998)
• Scroll of Honor Award, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (2002)

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

• Outstanding Teacher, Senior Class, Morris Brown College (1976)
• Teacher of the Year Award (1983)
• Faculty/Staff Hall of Fame, Senior Class, Morris Brown College (1983)

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