Hertha Sponer, 1895-1968, was a German physicist who became, in 1926, only the second woman awarded the Habilitation in her field--qualification to teach physics at the university level in Germany. She left Germany in 1934, taught two years in Norway and Spain, and arrived at Duke University in 1936, where she became the first woman appointed to its Physics Department faculty. She conducted research and taught at Duke until 1965, supervising thirty-five masters and doctoral degree graduates.
1895 Sept. 1
Born in Neisse, Prussia (today Nysa, Poland)
1918
Transferred from University of Tübingen to University of Göttingen
1920
Awarded Ph.D in physics, adviser Peter Debye
1920
1921
Became assistant to James Franck at Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Chemistry, Division of Physics, Dahlem (Berlin)
1925
Awarded Venia Legendi and Habilitation (qualification to teach at university level)
1925
1926
Awarded Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship to study at the Department of Physics, University of California Berkeley
1933
Charles W. Edwards, Chair of Duke University Physics Department, first contacted by Rockefeller Foundation about Sponer's possible availability
1934
Tentatively accepted offer from Edwards of guest professorship at Duke, but preferred to remain in Europe
1934 Sept.
1934 Oct.
Left Germany for Norway, to begin guest professorship at University of Oslo
1935
January, contacted again by Charles Edwards about a position at Duke; May, accepted "trial half-year," to begin Feb. 1, 1936
1935
1936
Published "Molekülspektren I"(Molecular Spectra and Their Application to Chemical Problems Vol. I and II)
1936
Appointed to Duke University faculty as Professor of Physics
1939
1940
Joined with Lise Meitner and other scientists in letter-writing campaign to assist Jewish physicist Hedwig Kohn in emigrating from Germany
1940
1942
Served as Associate Editor of The Journal of Chemical Physics
1946 June 29
Married James Franck, Chicago
1949
Spectroscopy laboratory moved to new Physics Building, Duke University
1952
Arranged Duke Physics research associateship for Hedwig Kohn, following Kohn's retirement from Wellesley
1952
1953
Awarded Guggenheim Fellowship to fund guest professorship at Uppsala University, Sweden
1962
Research and lecture trip to Japan and India
1964 May 21
James Franck died in Göttingen
1965 Sept. 1
Retired from Duke University
1966
Named Professor Emeritus in Physics
1966
Moved to Celle, Germany, to be near her sister and nephew
1968 Feb. 17
Died in Ilten, near Hannover
From the guide to the Hertha Sponer Papers, 1917-1967, (University Archives, Duke University)