Rubye Prigmore Torrey facts for kids

Rubye Mayette Prigmore Torrey (born February 18, 1926 – died October 26, 2017) was an important African American female chemist and teacher. She earned her first two degrees at Tennessee State University and her PhD from Syracuse University. She was very interested in how food works chemically, how to test drinking water and human hair using electricity, and how to do science research in a fair and honest way. She is famous for finding a way to break down hydrogen sulfide, which helped her join the special science honor society called Sigma Xi.

She is also well known for her work as a student, teacher, and researcher at Tennessee State University. There, she started a chemistry research lab and created "Research Day," which is now a week-long event every year. Torrey was very active in the American Society for the Advancement of Science. She was also an important member of the Women Chemist Committee and the Committee on Safety for the American Chemical Society, where she was given the special title of Emeritus member.

Early Life and School

Rubye Prigmore Torrey was the youngest of three girls. She was born in Sweetwater, Tennessee. Her parents were Olivia Lee Mayette Prigmore and Professor C. Claiborne. Rubye's father passed away when she was a baby, so her mother and grandfather mostly raised her. Her grandfather was a big influence on her and her sisters. He was a farmer and encouraged her interest in science and her love for nature from a young age.

Her high school chemistry teacher in Sweetwater also encouraged her to study chemistry. She started college at Swift Memorial Junior College, a small Presbyterian school in Rogersville, Tennessee. After two years at this boarding school, she moved to Tennessee State University (which was then called the Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State University). In 1946, Torrey earned her Bachelor's of Science degree in chemistry with high honors. She received a scholarship, which allowed her to continue her studies at Tennessee State University. In 1948, she earned her Master's degree, again graduating with honors. For her master's project, Torrey did research on fruits and vegetables grown in Tennessee for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Later, in 1968, Torrey became the first African American woman to earn a PhD in radiation-electroanalytical chemistry from Syracuse University. Her main research for her PhD was about a new material. Her paper was called "A Mechanism for the Alpha Radiolysis of Gaseous Hydrogen Sulfide." Fifty years after she graduated, her achievement was celebrated with a special plaque at Syracuse University.

Research and Career

Early Research Work

Torrey's research in radiation and electroanalytical chemistry began when she worked on her master's degree. She talked about this research in a book called Sisters in Science: Conversations with Black Women about Race, Gender, and Their Passion for Science. She said, "I created a chemical way to figure out when fruits and vegetables grown in Tennessee were starting to spoil. It was a method that measured certain gases in fruits and vegetables at different stages of growth."

Before getting her PhD from Syracuse, Torrey started working at Tennessee State University. She was an assistant professor in chemistry from 1948 to 1963. While studying at Syracuse, she worked as a chemistry instructor to pay for her schooling from 1963 to 1968. Her PhD research focused on how alpha radiation affects hydrogen sulfide gas. This was a new area of study at the time and inspired her future research. Her work at Syracuse led to her joining the university's Research Honor Society of Sigma Xi.

Career After School

Dr. Torrey worked as a chemistry professor at Tennessee State University from 1969 to 1970. Her next research step was at Brookhaven National Laboratory. There, she received money for her work in mass spectrometry through a special research grant from the Atomic Energy Commission. From 1970 to 1974, Torrey and her team did groundbreaking studies. They were the first to use mass spectrometry to study how certain noble gases form.

Research Week

While she was a professor and researcher at Tennessee State University, Torrey strongly supported students doing research. She was part of the University Research Committee. She also used money from the Atomic Energy Commission to bring together the Committee of the College of Arts and Sciences. Through this committee and her grant money, she created "Research Day" in 1978. The "University-Wide Research Symposium" was started to give students a chance to do research, not just professors. Torrey and her committee also wanted to help students learn how to present their research professionally, beyond just working in the lab. Since the College of Arts and Sciences didn't have enough money for such an event, Torrey asked local banks for help. The banks contributed to the project. The committee members themselves provided prize money for the students. After the first event was successful, Torrey applied for and received a grant from the National Science Foundation. This grant was for a program to help more students graduate with degrees in chemistry, physics, and mathematics.

The program has since grown into "Research Week" and happens every year at the university. In 2005, Torrey also successfully started a Student Research Day at Tennessee Technological University.

Work in Ethics

After working as a chemist for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Torrey returned to teaching. She became a chemistry professor and assistant vice president for research at Tennessee Technological University. Since she didn't have a lab for her research there, Torrey started the Ethics in Science and Technology Division of the Tennessee Academy of Science. She was the research administrator and chair of this division. Torrey said that this group was very focused on making ethics a key part of research training and scientific education. During this time, Dr. Torrey also helped professors develop research ideas, advised them on finding money for their research, and organized workshops to help them write proposals. She was in charge of two important committees that followed federal rules: "The Use of Human Subjects in Research" and "The Use of Experimental Animals in Research." She also received money for a state-wide meeting on "Human Subjects in Research," which included famous speakers from around the world.

Torrey even worked with her daughter on ethics research. At a meeting of the Tennessee Academy of Sciences, they presented an idea called "Concern or Orwellian Nightmare: Emerging Ethical Issues."

Under Dr. Torrey's guidance, the Sigma Xi Club at Tennessee Technological University became a full chapter.

For many years, Dr. Torrey reviewed proposals for government groups like the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education. After she retired from teaching, Torrey started her own consulting business.

Personal Life

Torrey was an active Presbyterian her whole life. She was especially involved in the First Presbyterian Church of Nashville for over forty years. She sang in the choir there for 45 years and served on many different committees as a deacon and an elder.

In September 1957, Rubye married Claude A. Torrey. They later had two children, a daughter named Claudia O. Torrey and a son named Michael Torrey. Mr. Torrey was a biologist and biochemist. He had graduated from the school of Medical Technology of Meharry Medical School. Rubye said he was a very important and helpful person in her science career. She said, "We worked as a team. I feel like this is the only way one can balance a family and career in science, especially in chemistry. Set your goals, make your plan, and work your plan."

Torrey passed away on October 26, 2017, when she was 91 years old.

Race and Gender

In an interview published in Sisters in Science: Conversations with Black Women about Race, Gender, and Their Passion for Science, the author Diann Jordan asked Torrey about being an African American female scientist. Torrey talked about her challenges in knowing if she had equal chances. She wondered if she was held back because of sexism (unfair treatment because of her gender) and racism (unfair treatment because of her race), or if there were other reasons. One of her most famous statements was, "Our acceptance as scientists is what is needed. We do not need to be viewed as black scientists or Negro scientists or African American Scientists; we need to be simply accepted as scientists...This is the link that is missing and must be supplied if we and the generations that follow are to reach the level of being all we can be." Torrey believed that to bring more black women into science, they needed more visible role models and mentors from people already in the field.