Ruth Margery Addoms

Early life and education Addoms was born in Haworth, New Jersey, to Lucy M. (Copeland) Addoms and William Henry Addoms, who was an exporter in Brooklyn, New York. Her younger sister, Elizabeth, became director of the physical therapy program at New York University.

Scientific career After earning her PhD, Addoms taught at Wellesley College and the University of Wisconsin. In 1930, she became a professor at Duke University, playing a crucial role in the development of Duke's Department of Botany and the Women's College. She was an active teacher and researcher for twenty years until her sudden death in 1951 at age 54 or 55. During her two decades at Duke, Addoms, with the help of her colleague Lewis Edward Anderson, built the institution's first general botany course.

Addoms was one of the eight original members of Duke's Botany department, which split from the Biology Department in 1935. In that time, she trained one PhD and helped the chair, Dr. Hugo L. Blomquist, to build and promote the fledgling department. She contributed to several textbooks on growth-promoting chemicals, as well as a general textbook on botany.

Death Addoms was visiting her sister Elizabeth in Brooklyn when she was stricken suddenly. She died at Methodist Hospital on August 29, 1951. She was survived by her mother, sister, and two brothers.

Selected publications