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© 2003 Mount Holyoke College. All rights reserved.
Rachel Fuller Brown was born on November 23, 1898 in Springfield, Massachusetts to George Hamilton Brown and Annie Fuller Brown. After her father left the family when Brown was twelve, her mother worked as a secretary and director of religious education at various churches. Brown entered Mount Holyoke College in 1916 and graduated with an B.A. degree in history and chemistry in 1920. In 1921 she received an M.S. degree in organic chemistry from the University of Chicago. For the next three years Brown taught at the Frances Shimer School in Chicago, Illinois before returning to the University of Chicago to study for her Ph.D. She completed her doctoral research in 1926 and received her Ph.D. in organic chemistry and bacteriology in 1933. In 1926 Brown began her career as a research chemist at the New York State Division of Laboratories and Research in Albany, New York. In 1948 she began collaborating with Dr. Elizabeth Lee Hazen, a microbiologist, to isolate the first antifungal antibiotic for human use. In 1950 they announced the discovery of Nystatin, an antibiotic named for the New York State Laboratory where they worked. The patent process was completed in 1957 and handled by the Research Corporation, a private foundation that worked closely with Brown and Hazen to distribute about $13,000,000 in royalties over the following decades to fund scientific research. Among its other projects, the Brown-Hazen Fund financed grants and fellowships at Mount Holyoke College. Brown retired from the Division of Laboratories and Research in 1968. She was the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Squibb Award in Chemotherapy, honorary degrees from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Mount Holyoke College, and the Chemical Pioneer Award. She also taught Sunday school for many years at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Albany. Brown died on January 14, 1980 at the age of eighty-one in Albany.
The Rachel Brown Papers consist of course records, writings, correspondence, memorabilia, an autograph album, biographical information, and photographs. Most of the collection consists of documents that reflect Brown's coursework as a student at Mount Holyoke College, 1916-1920. This material includes notebooks, notes, essays, assignments, and laboratory reports for courses in Biblical history and literature, chemistry, English literature, history, mathematics, philosophy and psychology, and physics. The collection also includes reports and copies of her M.S. thesis and Ph.D. dissertation that relate to her graduate work at the University of Chicago, 1920-1926. Most of the remaining material in the collection relates to Brown's collaboration with Elizabeth Lee Hazen and their discovery of the antibiotic Nystatin in 1950. This material includes correspondence, articles, and photographs pertaining to projects supported by the fund that Brown and Hazen established with income from the Nystatin patent. There are also congratulatory notes to Brown, certificates, medals, award nominations, lists of awards received, acceptance speeches, honorary degrees, and photographs of awards ceremonies all relating to Brown's achievements in science. Other information includes lists of Brown's publications, biographical articles, press releases, descriptions of Nystatin, formal photographs of Brown, and obituaries. There is also biographical information about Hazen, a formal photograph of her, and informal photographs of her with Brown. In addition, the collection includes Brown's scientific journal articles reflecting her research concerning pneumococcus and syphilis. The autograph album dates from circa 1914-circa 1920s and includes numerous autographs that appear to have been clipped from letters and other documents.
This collection is organized into seven series:
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Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:
Rachel Brown Papers, Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections, South Hadley, MA.
By form of material or alphabetically by course name
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Primarily consists of documents reflecting Brown's academic work as a student at Mount Holyoke College from 1916 to 1920. This material includes notebooks, notes, essays, assignments, and laboratory reports. The records are for courses in Biblical history and literature, chemistry, English literature, history, mathematics, philosophy and psychology, and physics. There are some instructor comments on the coursework for Chemisty 1. There are also reports for graduate school courses at the University of Chicago dated circa 1920-circa 1926.
Arranged chronologically.
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Consists of Brown's MS thesis and Ph.D dissertation, scientific journal articles, other articles, and speeches dating from 1921-1945, 1972-1980. The MS thesis, dated 1921, is entitled "Methyl-Phenylbutyrate." The Ph.D. dissertation is entitled "A Molecular Rearrangement of Para- Phenylbenzbromoamide" and was published in 1936. The scientific journal articles primarily relate to her research about pneumococcus and syphilis. The speeches include a statement about the accomplishments of the Brown-Hazen Fund, dated April 22, 1972, and Brown's acceptance speech for the Chemical Pioneer Award, May 22, 1972. There is also a short article about the progress of women scientists from 1980.
Arranged chronologically.
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Consists of letters to and from Brown, dating from circa 1955-1979. Many of the letters are congratulatory notes from friends and others for her many awards and honors. One of these letters, dated July 19, 1957, is from New York Governor Averell Harriman. There is correspondence from various organizations conferring honors on Brown. There are some letters from the Research Corporation regarding different projects of the Brown-Hazen Fund. Also, there are a few personal letters, including a thank you card from Brown's niece, Diana Brown, dated December 27, 1976.
Arranged by type of material.
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Contains awards, certificates, invitations, programs, medals, and a poster, dating from circa 1916-circa 1978. The certificate and medal for the 1955 Squibb Award are included, as are the certificates for honorary degrees awarded at Mount Holyoke College and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. In addition, there is a colorfully and intricately printed resolution praising Brown and Elizabeth Hazen adopted in 1971 by the Board of Directors of the Research Corporation. There is a program from the American Institute of Chemists Annual Meeting in 1975 and the certificate for the Chemical Pioneer award that Brown was presented with at the meeting.
Arranged by type of material.
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Consists of an autograph album, dating from circa 1914-circa 1920s. The autographs appear to have been clipped from letters and other documents. Autographs of people such as John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Raymond Adams, Warner F. Gookin, and others are included.
Arranged chronologically.
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Consists of newspaper articles, lists of Brown's publications, biographical articles, press releases, award nominations, descriptions of nystatin, lists of awards Brown received, biographical information about Elizabeth Hazen, and obituaries, dating from 1955-1980. The articles primarily concern her scientific discoveries, the awards she won, and her financial contributions to Mount Holyoke College. There is some information about the Research Corporation, including a description of the corporation, a grants program report from in 1976, and articles about grants made to Mount Holyoke College.
Arranged chronologically.
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Consists of formal photographs, informal photographs of Brown with other people, and photographs of awards Brown received, dating from 1920-1975. There are four formal photographs that date from 1920-circa 1960s. There is also a formal photograph of Elizabeth Hazen, circa 1930s. A photograph dated circa 1957 is of Hazen and Brown working in a laboratory. There is a photograph of Brown presenting Mount Holyoke College president Richard Glenn Gettell with a check from the Research Corporation in 1968. Two photographs are of Brown when she received an honorary degree from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 1969. In addition, there is a photograph of Brown being presented with the Chemical Pioneer Award in 1975.