Eleanor Seely Salmon

Eleanor Seely Salmon (February 16, 1910, Rochester, New York – September 30, 1984, New York City) born to Flora Seely Salmon and William Harry Salmon. Eleanor was a geologist who specialized in petroleum exploration, drilling, and refining.^[1] Although Eleanor did not have many of her own publications, she made many important contributions with her outstanding editing skills.

Education

Although she was originally interested in studying French, with some encouragement from her instructor Howard Meyerhoff, Salmon quickly discovered her passion for geology and adjusted her scholarly goals.^[2] She attended Smith College and in 1932 graduated with distinction as an undergraduate in geology. Eleanor was elected into Phi Beta Kappa as well as graduating Magna cum laude, both high honours for a liberal arts or science major.^[1] In 1942 she had earned her doctoral degree in geology at Columbia University where she also worked as a junior supervisor on a Catalog of Foraminifera WPA project at the American Museum of Natural History.^[1]

Career

After receiving her doctoral degree, Eleanor experienced difficulties in the Geology job market; she decided to use her skills in chemistry to work as an analytical and specialized chemist in Brooklyn at the Vacuum Oil Company(1942-1946).^[1] Geology was largely viewed as a male profession at the time, which made it difficult for her to find a job within her desired field.^[1] However she eventually became the managing editor of the Catalog of Foraminifera she had previously worked on at the American Museum of Natural History in 1946, and also held a position as an assistant curator to Micropaleontology.^[1] Thirteen years later, Salmon joined the American Petroleum Institute (API) Central Abstracting and Indexing Service in New York where she put her language skills to good use. She was required to work from English, French, German, Italian, and Russian sources while she worked as a an abstractor for the Drilling and Exploration Bulletin.^[2] In 1966 Salmon went on to become the editor of the Refining Bulletin, as well as becoming the editor of an alternate energy sources bulletin. Though she had few published works of her own, Salmon excelled at editing and found satisfaction in her work.^[2] Even after her retirement in 1975, including dealing with health issues related to emphysema, Eleanor continued to work freelance for the API as well as providing services as a translator for the French Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Miniferes.^[1]

Groups and organizations

Salmon was a prominent member of the Geological Society of America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists; though she was also a member of many groups outside of her educational and professional field.^[1] Eleanor believed in equality for all, and was a member in several charities and non-profit organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union which aimed at protecting the rights of individuals,^[3] The Nature Conservancy which focuses on land and water conservation,^[4] and the Society of Sigma Xi which combines both her passion for science and equality.^[1][5] Unsurprisingly, as a female in a male dominated field, she was also a member of the National Organization for Women, an American Feminist organization.^[1]

Publications

Salmon, Eleanor S. “Mohawkian Rafinesquinae.” Journal of Paleontology, vol. 16, no. 5, 1942.

Coryell, Horace N., Eleanor S. Salmon, and Theron Wasson. "A Molluscan Faunule from the Pierre Formation in Eastern Montana." American Museum novitates, 1934.

References

1. Phelps, Miriam E. (1987). "Memorial to Eleanor Seely Salmon" (PDF). Geological Society of America Memorials. 17.
2. Ogilvie, Harvey2, Marilyn, Joy2 (2000). The biographical dictionary of women in science. New York: Routledge. p. 1146.
3. "FAQ". American Civil Liberties Union.
4. "About us". The Nature Conservancy.
5. "A Statement of Inclusion for Human Rights". Sigma XI - The Scientific Research Society.