Beebe Steven Lynk
*Beebe Steven Lynk was born on this date in 1872. She was a Black chemist and professor.
Beebe Stevens was born in Mason, Tennessee. She was the daughter of Henderson Stevens and Jule Ann (Boyce) Stevens. She earned a bachelor's degree from Lane College in teaching in 1892 at the age of 20. In 1893, she married Miles V. Lynk. In addition to teaching, she wrote a book titled "Advice to Colored Women" (1896) and was active in the African American women's club movement.
An advocate for women's rights, she was a member of the National Federation of Women's Clubs, serving as Treasurer of the Tennessee State Federation of that organization. Her book reflected the organization's mission of advancing the status of African American women through education and respectability. In 1919, Mrs. Lynk published a school textbook titled A Complete Course in Hair Straightening and Beauty Culture. Lynk gained a Ph. D. (a degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry) from the University of West Tennessee in 1903. This was a two-year, pre-bachelor's degree that Beebe obtained after her original bachelor's degree to be able to practice and teach Pharmaceutical Chemistry.
The University of West Tennessee was founded by her husband in 1900 in the town of Jackson, Tennessee, but was later relocated to Memphis in 1907. Under major funding from her and her husband, the university followed the motto, 'to furnish thorough courses in the profession, regardless of race and color' and 'for the purpose of furnishing facilities for the higher education of Afro-American youth.' Following the Flexner Report in 1910, the university faced some challenges regarding its credibility. The author and developer Abraham Flexner did not criticize the African American medical schools lightly and often gave them harsh criticism.
In June 1908, the Council of Medical Education stated that the University of West Tennessee and two other African American medical universities were unfit and suggested that doctors from these institutions should not be recognized. Despite the criticism, the university remained open until its closure in 1923 due to financial struggles. Beebe Steven Lynk died on November 11, 1948, of carcinoma of the stomach in Memphis, Tennessee.
To Become a professor
To become a Chemist and Materials Scientist
