Alta Elizabeth Schrock (April 3, 1911 – November 7, 2001) was an American biology professor and community activist in

Western Maryland upright=1.2, An enlargeable map of Maryland's 23 counties and one independent city Western Maryland, also known as the Maryland panhandle or Mountain Maryland, is the portion of the U.S. state of Maryland that typically consists of Washing ...

who was the first

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

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 Grantsville is a town in the northern part of Garrett County, Maryland, United States, near the Pennsylvania border. The population was 968 as of the 2020 census. History Grantsville, half a mile west of the Casselman River, began as a small ...

, 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 graduated from high school in

Salisbury, Pennsylvania Salisbury is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 707 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Salisbury was laid out by Joseph Markley in ...

, and earned an associate degree in biology from

Waynesburg College Waynesburg University is a private Christian university in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, United States. It was established in 1850 and offers undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. The university enrolls aroun ...

. She did graduate work at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

and

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

, and received a Ph.D. in biology from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

in 1944, the first Mennonite woman in America to receive her doctorate.

Career

Schrock was on the faculty at

American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

(1944–46),

Goshen College Goshen College is a Private college, private Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana. It was founded in 1894 as the Elkhart Institute of Science, Industry and the Arts, a ...

(1946-57), and

Frostburg State University Frostburg State University (FSU) is a public university in Frostburg, Maryland. The university is the only four-year institution of the University System of Maryland west of the Baltimore-Washington passageway in the state's Appalachian highlan ...

(1960–77). At Goshen, Schrock taught biology and was a faculty sponsor for the college's

Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...

chapter. 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 The Spruce Forest Artisan Village is an arts and heritage center in Garrett County, Maryland, that is dedicated to preserving the heritage of the region. Resident and visiting artisans demonstrate their crafts in restored log cabins and vintage f ...

, dedicated to preserving the heritage, folk art, and craft-work of the region. Schrock built Penn Alps into a tourist attraction, with an inn, restaurant, museum and craft shop where visitors could watch local artisans work and buy their products. 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 Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

in 1991. In 2007, the

Maryland Historical Trust The Maryland Historical Trust is an agency of Maryland Department of Planning and serves as the Maryland State Historic Preservation Office. The agency serves to assist in research, conservation, and education, of Maryland's historical and cultur ...

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 Cumberland is a city in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,075. Located on the Potomac River, Cumberland is a regional business and comm ...

References