"Marie Maynard Daly"(April 16,1921-October 28,2003)

Was an American biochemist.She was the first African American woman in the United States to

earn a Ph.D in chemistry.(awarded by Columbia University in 1947).Marie was born in in Queens, New to Helen  and Ivan Daly.Her father had immigrated from the British West Indies,had hoped to earn a degree in Chemistry at Cornell University but was unable to continue because of financial constraints.Marie parents were committed to her education and encouraged her interest in science.She enrolled in Queens College so that she could live at home.Marie earned her B.S. in 1942 with honors.A fellowship and part time job at Queens College allowed her to work on her master's degree at New York University,which she completed in 1943.Because of the shortage of male scientists during World War Two,she was awarded funding for her P.h.D.program at Columbia University where she studied under a white female chemist,Mary L.Caldwell.She completed her dissertation  in 1947.Marie earned an apprenticeship with Dr.A.E. Mirsky at the Rockefeller Institute but she was required to find her own funding source.Marie applied for and won a grant from the American Cancer Society and began working with Dr.Mirsky in 1948.The two worked with Dr.Quentin B.Deming researching the chemical mechanics of heart attacks.In 1960,the two moved to Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University where she taught biochemistry courses and studied the effects of age on the circulatory system.Marie was awarded tenure in 1971.In 1961 she married Vincent Clark.At Albert Einstein,she became a champion for diversity,working to increase the representation of minorities in science.Marie retired in 1986 Dr.Clark was made a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and was named one of the Top 50 women in Science,Engineering,and Technology By the National Technical Association in 1999.Marie died in New York.