Ruth R. Benerito
| Ruth Mary Rogan Benerito | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
January 12, 1916 New Orleans |
| Died | October 5, 2013 (aged 97) |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Physical Chemistry of Surfaces and Colloids |
| Institutions | University of Chicago, USDA Southern Regional Research Center, Tulane University, University of New Orleans. |
| Alma mater | Sophie Newcomb College, Tulane University |
| Doctoral advisor | Thomas F. Young |
| Known for | wrinkle-free fiber |
| Notable awards | Garvan Medal, Lemelson-MIT Prize, National Inventors Hall of Fame |
| Spouse | Frank Benerito |
Ruth Rogan Benerito (January 12, 1916 – October 5, 2013) was an American chemist and inventor known for her work related to the textile industry, notably including the development of wash-and-wear cotton fabrics. She held 55 patents.
Ruth Mary Rogan was born and raised in New Orleans. Her father, John Edward Rogan, was a civil engineer and railroad official and was described by his daughter as a pioneer in women's liberation. Her mother, Bernadette Rogan, was an artist and considered a "truly liberated woman" by her daughter. Both parents were college graduates and imposed their values regarding a strong sense of education and women's rights onto Ruth. The Great Depression era surrounded Ruth's early years and when she eventually received her B.S. in Chemistry, 1 in 5 Americans was unemployed. Ruth's original interest preceding chemistry was math, however she did not want to foster a career as an actuary simply estimating probabilities for insurance companies, which led her to study chemistry.
Later in her life as she reflected on her many achievements, the true essence of her character was illustrated when she said, "I believe that whatever success that I have attained is the result of many efforts of many [people]. My very personal success was built from the help and sacrifices of members of my family, and professional accomplishments resulted from the efforts of early teachers and the cooperativeness of colleagues too many to enumerate."
In an age when girls did not usually go on to higher education, her father made sure his daughters received the same education available to boys. She completed high school at age 14 and entered Sophie Newcomb College, the women's college at Tulane University, at age 15 where she earned a degree in chemistry, as well as physics and math. She graduated in 1935 and moved to Bryn Mawr College to complete one year of graduate studies. She then moved to Newcomb, where she taught chemistry while researching advanced quantitative analysis and physical chemistry, organic chemistry, kinetics, and thermodynamics. While working as a teacher, Benerito took night classes to earn her master's degree from Tulane University. In 1948 she received her doctorate degree from the University of Chicago, where she conducted physical chemical research under the direction of Thomas F. Young. Her Ph.D dissertation was titled "Activity Coefficients of HCl in Ternary Aqueous Solutions". She left her job as an assistant professor in Newcomb College in 1953 to go work at the USDA Southern Regional Research Center of the US Department of Agriculture in New Orleans, where she spent most of her career.
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