Linda Green, a mathematician, shared this post from her mother, Hannah Green Sutton:
I graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in 1957 with a BS in chemistry. My father, who had a PhD in chemistry, encouraged me to study chemistry. However, it was a time when there was considerable discrimination against women in laboratory jobs as well as social pressure to marry young and be a homemaker. After a year as a technician at a steel company analytical chemistry lab, a job that I did not enjoy, I decided to go to graduate school. In 1964 I received a PhD in biochemistry from Cornell University. Then followed several postdoc positions and part-time jobs as I tried to balance being a mom of two small daughters and a career. My mother had a PhD in political economics, and she consistently supported me in my studies and work. She and my father even moved to NC from Pittsburgh so that they could babysit while I worked.
My career path became established in 1978 when I began work at pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome. BW Co was a very good environment for me. I received excellent mentoring and consistently challenging work, first in technical information and later in the patent department. I passed the Patent Bar exam in 1986.
Now I am retired. My younger daughter is a mathematician. And my three grandchildren (ages 9, 14 and 17) have shown interest in STEM subjects.
Grandma Got STEM 