Schmidt, Ruth A. M., 1916-2014

Ruth Anna Marie Schmidt April 22, 1916, Brooklyn, NY – March 29, 2014, Anchorage, Alaska; attended the Washington Square College of New York University, degree in geology; AM, PhD, Geology, Columbia University; trained in radigrahpy with Prof. H. H. Sheldon; worked at American Museum of Natural History; Schmidt was a pioneer for women in the sciences throughout her career; Schmidt was recruited by Columbia University Professor A. K. Lobeck to serve as an assistant, the first female graduate student to teach all-male classes at Columbia; Schmidt was also interested in civil rights for ethnic minorities, and when she lived in Washington, she joined the Washington Cooperative Bookshop because of its mission of racial inclusion; U.S. Attorney General Tom C. Clark in 1947, led to two investigations against Schmidt by the Department of Interior. She was cleared both times; chmidt began working for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in Washington, D.C., in early 1943; Schmidt worked for the top secret Military Geology Unit of the USGS; left USGS in 1963 and moved to Alaska; co-founded the Alaska Geological Society in 1957–58; professor at University of Alaska Anchorage