Miriam Higgins Thomas
A Black woman with dark skin and hair, wearing a buttoned-up light-colored jacket with a pointed collar
Miriam Higgins Thomas, from a 1975 publication of the United States federal government
Born
Miriam Mason Higgins

June 22, 1920
Chicago, Illinois
DiedSeptember 15, 2002
OccupationChemist

Miriam Mason Higgins Thomas (June 22, 1920 – September 15, 2002) was an American chemist, based in the United States Army Research and Development Command at Natick, Massachusetts.

Early life and education

Miriam Mason Higgins was born in Chicago, the daughter of William Henry Higgins and Mame Mason Higgins. Her mother was an alumna of the University of Chicago, dean of women at Bethune-Cookman College, and a social service consultant for the Illinois Department of Public Aid.[1][2] Her brother, William H. Higgins, was a dentist and ordained Methodist minister.[3] Her grandfather, M. C. B. Masons, was a noted orator and Black church leader.[4]

Higgins graduated from Hyde Park High School in 1936, and earned a bachelor's degree in nutrition and chemistry from Bennett College in 1940.[5] She earned a master's degree in food chemistry from the University of Chicago.[6]

Career

Thomas taught at the University of Chicago during World War II, and was a chemist with Food and Container Institute at the Chicago Quartermaster Depot beginning in 1945.[5] She was a research chemist at the U. S. Army Natick Develoopment Center, studying nutritional content of military rations under various conditions.[7] In 1975 she won an Army SARS Fellowship to study food processing and nutrition analysis techniques in Japan, India, the Soviet Union, the Netherlands, and Guatemala.[6] She was a consultant to the Food Research Laboratories, Inc., of Boston, and taught nutrition and food science courses at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research was published in academic journals including Journal of Microwave Power and Journal of Food Science.[8]

Thomas was nominated three times by the Department of the Army for the Federal Woman's Award. She was a member of the Association of Vitamin Chemists, the Society for Nutrition Education, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[6]

Selected publications and reports

  • "Use of Ionizing Radiation to Preserve Food" (1988)[9]
  • "Effective of Processing and Preparation for Serving on Vitamin Content in T, B, and a Ration Pork" (1986, with Bonita Atwood and K. Ananth Narayan)[10]
  • "Stability of Vitamins C, B1, B2 and B6 in Fortified Beef Stew" (1986, with Bonita M. Atwood and K. Ananth Narayan)[11]
  • "Thiamin and Riboflavin Content of Flake-cot Formed Pork Roasts" (1982, with R. V. Decareau and Bonita M. Atwood)
  • "Effect of Radiation and Conventional Processing on the Thiamin Content of Pork" (1981, with Bonita M. Atwood, E. Wierbicki, and I. A. Taub)[8]
  • "Nutritional Aspects of Food Irradiation: An Overview" (1979, with E. S. Josephson and W. K. Calhoun)
  • "Radappertization of Meat, Meat Products, and Poultry" (1972, with E. S. Josephson, A. Brynjolfsson, E. Wierbicki, D. B. Rowley, C. Merritt, R. W. Baker, and J. J. Killoran)
  • "Effect of Irradiation Dose and Temperature on the Thiamine Content of Ham" (1971, with E. Wierbicki)[12]
  • "High-Dose Radiation Processing of Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Products" (1970, with E. Wierbicki, A. Anellis, J. J. Killoran, E. J. Johnson, and Edward S. Josephson)[13]
  • "Radiation Preservation of Foods and Its Effect on Nutrients" 1970, with Edward S. Josephson)[14]
  • "Effect of Freeze-Thaw Cycling on the Vitamin Content of the Meal Ready-to-Eat, Individual" (1969, with Doris E. Sherman)[15]
  • "Modified Microbiological Procedures for Vitamin Assays: A Manual" (1962)[16]
  • "The Nutrient Composition of the Meal, Combat, Individual" (1962)[17]
  • "Vitamin Retention in Fortified Fruit Tablets During Surgery" (1961)[18]
  • "Nutritional evaluation of dehydrated foods and comparison with foods processed by thermal and radiation methods" (1961, with Doris Howes Calloway)[19]
  • "Effect of Storage on the Flavor of Chocolate Fortified with Nutritional Yeast" (1957, with A. L. Sheffner and Harry Spector)[20]
  • "Effect of Electronic Cooking on Nutritive Value of Foods" (1949, with S. Brenner, A. Eaton, V. Craig)

Personal life

Miriam Higgins married before 1960 and had a son, Brian.[21] Thomas died in 2002, aged 82 years. Her papers are in the National Archives for Black Women's History.[22]

References

  1. ↑ "Churchwomen to Hear State Aid Consultant". The Pantagraph. 1965-05-02. p. 29. Retrieved 2021-10-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Public Aid Speaker for Junior Women". The Pantagraph. 1966-04-14. p. 12. Retrieved 2021-10-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Brother Dr. William H. Higgins". The Sphinx. 62: 71. October 1976.
  4. ↑ Mason, M. C. B.; Mason, Mary E. (1917). Solving the problem: a series of lectures by the late Rev. M.C.B. Mason. Mt. Morris, Ill.: Kable Brothers Company – via Hathi Trust.
  5. 1 2 Caldwell, Margaret (February 2, 1946). "Bennett Graduate Research Chemist". The Bennett Banner. p. 1. Retrieved October 8, 2021 – via North Carolina Newspapers.
  6. 1 2 3 "SARS Fellowships: 3 Army Scientists Win Year of Foreign Study". Army Research and Development News Magazine: 28. September 1975.
  7. ↑ "Natick Reports on 1976 Food Science Laboratory Research". Army Research and Development: 11. May 1977.
  8. 1 2 Thomas, M. H.; Atwood, B. M.; Wierbicki, E.; Taub, I. A. (1981). "Effect of Radiation and Conventional Processing on the Thiamin Content of Pork". Journal of Food Science. 46 (3): 824–828. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.1981.tb15358.x. ISSN 1750-3841.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Miriam H. (1988), Karmas, Endel; Harris, Robert S. (eds.), "Use of Ionizing Radiation to Preserve Food", Nutritional Evaluation of Food Processing, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 457–490, doi:10.1007/978-94-011-7030-7_18, ISBN 978-94-011-7030-7, retrieved 2021-10-08
  10. ↑ Thomas, Miriam H., Bonita M. Atwood, and K. Ananth Narayan (1986). "Effective of Processing and Preparation for Serving on Vitamin Content in T, B, and a Ration Pork" Technical Report, Natick/TR-86/022
  11. ↑ Thomas, Miriam H.; Atwood, Bonita M.; Narayan, K. A. (1986-09-01). "Stability of Vitamins C, B1, B2 and B6 in Fortified Beef Stew". Archived from the original on October 8, 2021 – via Defense Technical Information Center. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. ↑ Thomas, M. H.; Wierbicki, E. (1971-01-01). DTIC AD0726380: Effect of Irradiation Dose and Temperature on the Thiamine Content of Ham. Defense Technical Information Center.
  13. ↑ E. Weirbicki, A. Anellis, J. J. Killoran, E. L. Johnson, Miriam H. Thomas, and E. S. Josephson. (1970) "High-Dose Radiation Processing of Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Products" Third International Congress Food Science and Technology, Washington D.C.
  14. ↑ Josephson, Edward S.; Thomas, Miriam H. (1970). "Radiation Preservation of Foods and Its Effect on Nutrients". Sci Teacher.
  15. ↑ Thomas, Miriam H.; Sherman, Doris E. (1969-06-01). "Effect of Freeze-Thaw Cycling on the Vitamin Content of the Meal Ready-to-Eat, Individual". Archived from the original on October 8, 2021 – via Defense Technical Information Center. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. ↑ Thomas, Miriam H. (1962-07-01). "Modified Microbiological Procedures for Vitamin Assays. A Manual". Defense Technical Information Center. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021.
  17. ↑ Thomas, Miriam H. (1962-06-01). "The Nutrient Composition of the Meal, Combat, Individual". Defense Technical Information Center. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021.
  18. ↑ Thomas, Miriam H. (1961) "Vitamin Retention in Fortified Fruit Tablets During Surgery" Quartermaster Food and Container Institute for the Armed Forces.
  19. ↑ Thomas, Miriam Higgins; Calloway, Doris Howes (1961). "Nutritional evaluation of dehydrated foods and comparison with foods processed by thermal and radiation methods". Quartermaster Food and Container Institute for the Armed Forces.
  20. ↑ Thomas, Miriam H.; Sheffner, A. L.; Spector, Harry (1957-08-01). "Effect of Storage on the Flavor of Chocolate Fortified with Nutritional Yeast". Archived from the original on October 19, 2020 – via Defense Technical Information Center. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  21. ↑ "Obituary for Mayme Mason Higgins". Chicago Tribune. 1968-02-20. p. 24. Retrieved 2021-10-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "Collections in the National Archives for Black Women's History". Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved 2021-10-08.
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