Alta Schrock

Alta Elizabeth Schrock (April 3, 1911 – November 7, 2001) was an American biology professor and community activist in Western Maryland who was the first Mennonite woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D.

Early life Schrock was born on April 3, 1911, on Strawberry Hill Farm, near Grantsville, Maryland, the oldest of eight children.

Education In her childhood and teenage years, poor health prevented Alta Schrock from attending school. During this period, she studied plants in the woods on her own. When she was nearly fifteen, she returned to school to continue her formal education. She did graduate work at the University of Cincinnati, Oberlin College and Kent State University, and received a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1944, the first Mennonite woman in America to receive her doctorate.

Career Schrock was on the faculty at American University (1944–46), Goshen College (1946-57), and Frostburg State University (1960–77).

In 1957, Schrock left her teaching position at Goshen College to return home to Western Maryland to found the Springs Historical Society, the Penn Alps Center, and the Spruce Forest Artisan Village, dedicated to preserving the heritage, folk art, and craft-work of the region. Penn Alps held an annual Summerfest, drawing about a thousand people a day by the 1980s.

Recognition Schrock was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame in 1991.

In 2007, the Maryland Historical Trust and the Maryland State Arts Council created a new award presented at the Maryland Traditions showcase, the Achievement in Living Traditions and Arts (ALTA) Award, named for Schrock.

Death Schrock died on November 7, 2001, aged 90, of circulatory illness at Memorial Hospital in Cumberland, Maryland.