Elion: Why, thank you dear. I'm happy to be here.
Me: If it's okay with you I would like to get to the questions.
Elion: Well that's what I'm here for right? *Smiles(:*
Me: Did anything happen when you were younger that made you want to get into science and learn more than what you already knew?
Elion: When my Grandfather died, I decided that I wanted to work as hard as i could to help towards developing drugs to cure previously incurable diseases.
Me: Was it hard for you when your Grandfather died?
Elion: It was very hard for me, me and my Grandfather had become very close over the years.
Me: What do you consider the biggest accomplishment of your's?
Elion: I would say that my biggest accomplishment would be recieving the Nobel Prize in medicine.
Me: That is quite a large accomplishment.
Me: What college did you go to, to study for chemistry?
Elion: I graduated from Hunter College with a B.A.degree, in New York City.
I went on to recieve my masters degree going to night school, also in New York City.
Me: Hunter college was a free college, am I correct?
Elion: Yes ma'am. If it weren't for my good grades, I would have never gotten into college because of the hard times with money while I was growing up.
Me: I am glad that you got goor grades then *smiles(:*
Me: What were some setbacks for you while achieving what you have?
Elion: The biggest setback that i came across was being a woman. Being a woman meant that I wasn't welcome in many labratories. Fortunately, during WWII, I was hired as a biochemist by Wellcome Research Laboratories.
Me: Was there anyone that you particularly remember working with?
Elion: Yes, George Hitchings. We worked together for many years, and in 1988 we recieved the Nobel Prize together.
Me: Was there anything going on while you were working that made it harder on you. Such as cultural, economic, or political situations?
Elion: Yes. Actually, The Great Depression was going on.
Me: Man, that must have been hard on you.
Elion: It made it hard to get the money i needed, but I got by.
Me: What were/and are your religious beliefes?
Elion: I am a proud Jewish woman, it was quite a scary time during WWII.
Me: That would be very frightening.
Me: What were some artists that were working their magic during the same years as yourself?
Elion: I do know that John Hassall was working around the same time as me.
Me: I remember you telling me that gender was a problem for you while trying to get a job, why is that?
Elion: During the time that I was growing up women couldn't do much, that included working in labratories.
Me: That seems very degrading..
Elion: It was, but it was something that I just had to get used to.
Me: Did you have any mentors growing up?
Elion: I did not, but I did mentor others.
Me: That's really interesting.
Me: What all did you know about chemistry before you went into college?
Elion: I loved to go to the Bronx Zoo, I went quite often. I was ready for college by the age of 15.
Me: That's a young age to go to college!
Elion: It was hard, but it was deffinately worth it.
Me: I bet. Well, it's time that we wrap it up here.
Thank you so very much for coming, it was a pleasure to have you.
Elion: The pleasure's all mine Miss. *smiles(:*
Gertrude B. Elion – FREE Gertrude B. Elion Information | Encyclopedia.com: Find Gertrude B. Elion Research." Encyclopedia - Online Dictionary | Encyclopedia.com: Get Facts, Articles, Pictures, Video. Web. 07 Apr. 2010.
"Gertrude B. Elion Links : Websites, Official Sites and Fan Sites - FamousWhy - FamousWhy." Famous People Biographies, Pictures, Photo Galleries, Questions and More - FamousWhy. Web. 07 Apr. 2010.
"Gertrude Belle Elion - A Lifeline." History of Chemistry - Chemical Heritage Foundation. Web. 07 Apr. 2010.
"Gertrude Elion." Jewish Women's Archive. Web. 07 Apr. 2010.
"Inventor of the Week: Archive." MIT. Web. 07 Apr. 2010.
"World War I and II Artists." World War II, I. Posters, Photos. Web. 07 Apr. 2010.
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