In Memoriam: Clara Isabel Adams, 1933-2020

Clara Adams, a member of the faculty and an administrator at Morgan State University in Baltimore for nearly 60 years, died from kidney failure on August 5 at the home of her nephew in East York, Pennsylvania. She was 87 years old.

A native of Baltimore, Dr. Adams earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Morgan State University. She held a master’s degree from Iowa State University and was the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. While pursuing graduate education, Dr. Adams was a research fellow at the Ames Laboratory of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. She later worked as a chemist at the National Heart Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Adams joined the faculty at Morgan State University in 1958. She rose to the rank of full professor of chemistry and served as chair of the chemistry department, dean of the school of graduate studies, vice president for academic affairs, and special assistant to the president.

Dr. Adams retired in 2018 at the age of 85. Her nearly 60 years of service is one of the longest tenures in Morgan State history. The Honors College at Morgan State University is named in her honor.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Oakwood University Wins 2024 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge

The Honda All-Star Challenge is an annual academic competition for students and faculty at historically Black colleges and universities. This year's top finisher, Oakwood University, received a $100,000 grant for their win.

Eight Black Scholars Appointed to New Faculty Positions

Here is this week’s roundup of African Americans who have been appointed to new faculty positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@jbhe.com.

MIT Launches HBCU Science Journalism Fellowship

The new HBCU Science Journalism Fellowship will provide students from Howard University, Hampton University, Florida A&M University, Morgan State University, and North Carolina A&T State University with hands-on training and individualized mentorship to develop their journalistic skills.

Two Black Scholars Named American Economic Association Distinguished Fellows

The American Economic Association has named William Darity Jr. and Margaret Simms as 2024 Distinguished Fellows in recognition of their prominent careers in advancing the field of economics and advocating for economic equality.

Featured Jobs