Esther A. Hopkins
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Esther Arvilla Hopkins (née Harrison; September 18, 1926 – May 19, 2021) was an American chemist and environmental attorney. Hopkins was best known for her career as a biophysicist and research chemist at
American Cyanamid American Cyanamid Company was an American manufacturing conglomerate. It began as a fertilizer company and added many additional lines of business before merging with American Home Products in 1994. The combined company sold off most of its di ...
along with research in the Polaroid Corp Emulsion Coating and Analysis Laboratory. She also pursued a career working as an attorney with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) following her time as a chemist.


Early life and family

Esther Arvilla Harrison was born on September 18, 1926, in
Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...
, to Esther Small and George Burgess Harrison. Her mother migrated from
Society Hill, South Carolina Society Hill is a town in Darlington County, South Carolina, Darlington County, South Carolina, United States alongside the Pee Dee River. It is the oldest community in Darlington County and one of the first towns founded in South Carolina. The t ...
, to
New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtow ...
, at the age of 12 (1901) to move north and work as a maid for a New Rochelle family. Small was the first member of her family fully freed from slavery. She was also the first member of her family to graduate from high school and to own a home. While working as a chauffeur in Stamford, Connecticut, she married George Burgess Harrison, who was also employed as a chauffeur. George was raised in
East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 69,612, an increase of 5,342 (+8.3%) from the 2010 United States ...
, where he attended high school, but dropped out to work as a janitor and chauffeur. Esther Harrison was born in 1926 and along with two brothers, one older and one younger. The Harrison family battled poverty, but Esther spent most of her time at the public library and the Stamford theater. Her parents also provided her with piano lessons even when facing financial adversity. Throughout middle and high school, Esther played the piano at her church and was president of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA).


Education

Esther began kindergarten at the age of 3, passing an early enrollment test to enter school. She succeeded in the classroom, especially in the subjects of math and chemistry. She attended Hart Elementary School and Burdick Junior High School, both in her hometown of Stamford. Upon graduating 21st in her class from Stamford High School in 1943, Esther Harrison had her sights set on attending medical school and becoming a doctor. Despite being told to consider a career as a hairdresser, by a neighbor at the local YWCA, Esther had her mind set on medicine. After graduating from high school, Harrison had sights set on attending Yale University, although the school was not coed in 1943. She graduated from
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
in 1947 with a B.A. in chemistry. She was rejected from Boston University's medical school due to the limited availability of two seats for African American students. Alternatively, she attended
Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...
where she received her master's degree in organic chemistry in 1949. She later earned a second master's degree (1962) and Ph.D. (1967) in chemistry at
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, while carrying out chemical research for American Cyanamid. Her dissertation research focused on the effects of the release of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) in fireflies.


Career

After graduating from Howard University, Esther Hopkins began teaching chemistry at
Virginia State College Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically Black land-grant university, land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia, United States. Founded on , Vi ...
from 1949 to 1952 before deciding to pursue research. She was offered a position to work with the New England Institute for Medical Research in 1955, where she was an assistant researcher in biophysics until 1959. After this research stint, she worked as a chemist at the American Cyanamid's research lab back at home in Stamford. She earned both her second M.S. and Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale while working at American Cyanamid as a research chemist. Upon completion of her Ph.D. program, Hopkins was hired as a supervisory research chemist with the
Polaroid Corporation Polaroid Corporation was an American company that made instant film and cameras, which survives as a brand for consumer electronics. The company was founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land, to exploit his Polaroid (polarizer), Polaroid polarizing polyme ...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1967. There she led the Emulsion Coating and Analysis Laboratory, checking the chemical composition of film coating uniformity. Hopkins attended the
National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
's Double Blind Symposium in 1975, which was a conference that focused on the challenges that minorities, the disabled, and women face and illuminate the underrepresentation in STEM fields. This combined with personal experiences as an African-American female, sparked her interest in law and patent work. While working for Polaroid, she attended
Suffolk University Law School Suffolk University Law School (also known as Suffolk Law School) is the Private university, private, non-sectarian law school of Suffolk University located in Downtown Boston, downtown Boston, across the street from the Boston Common and the Fr ...
where she received her J.D. degree with a concentration in patent law in 1976. Hopkins left her Polaroid lab in 1989 and began working as the deputy general counsel at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. She retired in 1999 from the Massachusetts DEP, but continued to work in her community, becoming the first
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
elected to the local
Framingham Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popula ...
Board of Selectmen.


Personal life

Esther married John Mitchell in 1955, who was pursuing a doctorate at Boston University when they met. They had a daughter named Susan who died in early adulthood due to diabetes complications. The marriage ended a few years later. Esther moved back to Stamford in 1959, where she met and married Rev. Thomas Ewell Hopkins in 1959, a local minister and social worker. Together they had one son, T. Ewell Hopkins, Jr. Esther was married to T. Ewell for 42 years before his death in 2001. She resided with her son and daughter-in-law on
Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...
until her death.


Awards and honors

* 1967 Yale University
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...
and
Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is an international non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a faculty member and graduate students in 1886 and is one of the oldest ...
honor societies * 1977 Boston University Scarley Key recipient * Boston University
Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is an List of African American fraternities, historically African-American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The sorority was founded in 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. Alpha Kappa Alpha ...
sorority Golden Member * 1979 Woman of the Year – Framingham Business & Professional Women's Club * 1984 Woman of the Year – Framingham Regional Family YMCA * 1999 First African-American Framingham Board of Selectmen * 2011
American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...
Fellow * 2020 Unitarian Universalist Retired Ministers and Partners Association Creative Sageing Award


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Esther A. American women lawyers 20th-century African-American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers African-American chemists American women chemists 1926 births 2021 deaths People from Stamford, Connecticut Selectmen in Massachusetts American environmental lawyers Massachusetts lawyers African-American people in Massachusetts politics Stamford High School (Stamford, Connecticut) alumni Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni Howard University alumni Yale University alumni Suffolk University Law School alumni 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women Chemists from Connecticut