Florence Wells Slater
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mary Florence Wells Slater (October 16, 1864 – January 22, 1941) was an American entomologist and educator. After graduating from St. Mary's School in 1882, she served on the faculty there as a science teacher. Slater went on to study
entomology Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...
at
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
, working as a research assistant for
John Henry Comstock John Henry Comstock (February 24, 1849 – March 20, 1931) was an eminent researcher in entomology and arachnology and a leading educator. His work provided the basis for classification of butterflies, moths, and scale insects. Career Comstock w ...
. In 1899 she published the article ''The Egg-Carrying Habitat of Zaitha'', which made corrections to an error in Comstock's earlier published work. She went on to teach within the
New York City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (more commonly known as New York City Publ ...
, most notably at Washington Irving High School in
Gramercy Park Gramercy ParkSometimes misspelled as Grammercy () is the name of both a small, fenced-in private park, and the surrounding neighborhood (which is also referred to as Gramercy), in Manhattan in New York City. The approximately park, located ...
. Slater was an advocate for teacher pensions in New York and for
equal pay for equal work Equal pay for equal work is the concept of labour rights that individuals in the same workplace be given equal pay. It is most commonly used in the context of sexual discrimination, in relation to the gender pay gap. Equal pay relates to the fu ...
in the United States.


Biography

Mary Florence Wells Slater was born in
Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury ( ) is a city in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. ...
on October 16, 1864. Her father was James Alexander Slater. Slater was the sister of Ada Slater Carter, James H. Slater, and Henry Fielding Slater. She enrolled at St. Mary's School, an
Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...
girls' boarding school in
Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
, in 1877. She graduated from St. Mary's in 1882 and became a faculty member there in 1883, teaching botany and natural sciences. In 1885, Slater attended
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
, where she was a member of
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 ...
and the Wayside Club. While an undergraduate student, she studied and worked under
John Henry Comstock John Henry Comstock (February 24, 1849 – March 20, 1931) was an eminent researcher in entomology and arachnology and a leading educator. His work provided the basis for classification of butterflies, moths, and scale insects. Career Comstock w ...
. While working with Comstock in 1899, she reported in an article titled ''The Egg-Carrying Habit of Zaitha'' that male Zaitha flumineum carry eggs and that the females are "obliged to capture the male in order to deposit the eggs", corrected an error made by Comstock that had been published in American textbooks. She also wrote that "the male chafes under the burden" of carrying the eggs and "if attacked, he meekly receives the blows, seemingly preferring death.. to the indignity of carrying and caring for the eggs." Slater graduated from Cornell with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1900. Upon graduating, Slater moved to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, teaching science in city public schools, most notably Washington Irving High School. While teaching at Washington Irving, she would borrow slides from the
American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...
and animals from the
Bronx Zoo The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and the largest Metropolis, metropol ...
for her lectures. Every month, she would arrange for a member of the American Museum of Natural History's Department of Education to lecture to the entire 5,000-person student body in the school auditorium. Slater was an advocate for
equal pay for equal work Equal pay for equal work is the concept of labour rights that individuals in the same workplace be given equal pay. It is most commonly used in the context of sexual discrimination, in relation to the gender pay gap. Equal pay relates to the fu ...
and for adopting a pension system for teachers in New York public schools. When she retired from teaching, she was granted a pension that allowed her to remain financially independent for the remainder of her life. She moved back to North Carolina and guest lectured around the state. Jane Simpson McKimmon attended one of her guest lectures, at the
North Carolina State College North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...
, where she lectured to six hundred and twenty-three students from rural North Carolina on a reel of film titled ''How Life Begins''. Slater was a parishioner and bible study teacher at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in
Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...
. She died on January 22, 1941, and is buried at Salem Cemetery.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slater, Florence Wells 1864 births 1941 deaths 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American educators 20th-century American women scientists American high school teachers American women biologists Burials at Salem Cemetery (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) Cornell University alumni Episcopalians from North Carolina People from Salisbury, North Carolina People from Winston-Salem, North Carolina Schoolteachers from North Carolina St. Mary's School (North Carolina) alumni American women entomologists