Although biochemist Lorene Rogers (1914-2009) received her doctorate from UT Austin, the Chemistry Department refused to hire her as as a professor—and tried to pay her half as a lecturer—because she was a woman. She did find a professorship, however, in what was then known as the Department of Home Economics (School of Human Ecology).
"She had a remarkable career," said former UT President Dr. Peter Flawn in an obituary that appeared in the Austin American-Statesman. "If she had been born 25 years later, she might have, as a woman scientist, achieved more national distinction. She came along at a time when women were having a difficult time in science."
Dr. Rogers rose through the ranks at UT Austin as a professor of nutrition, where she studied how dietary deficiencies and medicines influence IQ, and an administrator. In 1974, she became the first female president of a major US university. As President of UT Austin, she worked for equal pay among professors, established the National Merit Scholarship Program, and increased enrollment of minority students. Many protested her appointment, and she retired in 1979.
