Isabel Fothergill Smith

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Isabel Fothergill Smith

A.B., 1915; A.M., 1919; PhD., 1922
BornNovember 15, 1890
Greeley, Colorado
DiedSeptember 16, 1990(1990-09-16) (aged 99)
Alma materBryn Mawr College
OccupationGeologist

Isabel Fothergill Smith (November 15, 1890 – September 16, 1990) was a geology professor from Greeley, Colorado. She studied geology at Bryn Mawr College under her mentor Florence Bascom. Smith published various articles as a student and a memoir on Bascom later during her retirement. Beginning her career as an associate professor of geology at Smith College, Isabel later became the first dean of Scripps College, a prestigious women's liberal arts college.[1]

Early life[]

Isabel Fothergill Smith was born in Greeley, Colorado on November 15, 1890 as the youngest of four daughters. Her family moved to Los Angeles, California in her early teens. Her father was a student of Cornell University and her sisters had attended the University of Colorado, Stanford and Columbia University. In 1909, her father was killed in a horse and buggy accident.[1][2]

Education[]

Given her family's background within education, Isabel thought she would have no issue pursuing her studies at any institute she saw as fit. However, after her father's death in 1909, financial hardships made any such opportunity uncertain. A cousin whose sister studied at Bryn Mawr College generously funded the opportunity for Isabel to pursue a bachelor's degree at the same institute. Isabel Fothergill Smith gained her bachelor's degree from Bryn Mawr alongside the help of Florence Bascom, a professor known for her accomplishments as one of the first women geologists.[3] She continued her studies within this circle and obtained her master's degree, publishing "A columbite crystal from Boothwyn, Pennsylvania."[1]

After she received her master's, Bascom recommended an M. Carey Thomas European Fellowship from Bryn Mawr to Smith, enabling her to study mineralogy in Paris for a year (1920–1921). Following this, Smith completed her Ph.D at Bryn Mawr, writing her dissertation: "Anorthosite in the Piedmont province of Pennsylvania", once published in the Pan-American Geologist.[1][4]

Career[]

She first taught at Smith College for six years as an associate professor of geology. In 1929, Florence Bascom wrote a letter of recommendation for Smith to Scripps College, a private women's liberal arts college, the same year she would be appointed as first dean. As dean, she was involved with interdisciplinary programs and student life. After six years Smith resigned from her position and took a year-long sabbatical studying the History of Science at Columbia University and Harvard University. Upon her return, she continued teaching at Scripps and began teaching at Pomona College, lecturing various courses such as those of introductory geology, historical geology, and mineralogy until her retirement in 1954.[1]

Later life and death[]

In 1981, Smith published a memoir of her mentor, Bascom.[5] She died on September 16, 1990.[1]

Legacy[]

Scripps honored Smith's contributions by establishing a scholarship in her name.[6] The scholarship is awarded to mathematics or physical sciences students who are also committed to the humanities.[2][6]

Published works[]

  • A columbite crystal from Boothwyn, Pennsylvania (1919)[7]
  • Anorthosite in the Piedmont province of Pennsylvania (1923)[8]
  • The Stone Lady: a Memoir of Florence Bascom (1981)[5]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Schneiderman, Jill (1992). "Growth and Development of a Woman Scientist and Educator". Earth Sciences History. 11 (1): 37–39. ISSN 0736-623X.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b The biographical dictionary of women in science : pioneering lives from ancient times to the mid-20th century. Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey., Harvey, Joy Dorothy. New York: Routledge. 2000. ISBN 0-415-92038-8. OCLC 40776839.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. ^ Schneidermann, Jill (July 1997). "A Life of Firsts: Florence Bascom" (PDF). GSA Today. Geological Society of America. Retrieved February 5, 2021
  4. ^ Smith, Isabel F. (1922). "Genesis of anorthosite of Piedmont Pennsylvania". . 38: 29–50.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Smith, Isabel F. (1981). The Stone Lady : A Memoir of Florence Bascom. Bryn Mawr College.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Isabel Fothergill Smith Scholarship - Scripps College Scholarship and Internship Opportunities". scrippscollege.academicworks.com. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  7. ^ Smith, Isabel F. (1919-10-01). "A columbite crystal from Boothwyn, Pennsylvania". American Mineralogist. 4 (10): 121–123. ISSN 0003-004X.
  8. ^ Smith, Isabel F. (1923). Anorthosite in the Piedmont Province of Pennsylvania, Ph.D dissertation (Pennsylvania: Bryn Mawr College 1923) 40p.
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