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Skidmore College
Skidmore Retirees

E. Beverly Field

E. Beverly Field, associate professor emerita of biology, died August 25, 2000, at Crosslands in Kennett Square, Pa. She as 89.

Born in Providence, R.I., she received a B.A. in biology from Hofstra University. She earned an M.A. in education from Columbia University Teachers College in 1941 and joined Skidmore’s biology department in 1943 as an instructor. She was promoted to associate professor in 1952.

During sabbaticals and vacations, she traveled extensively: teaching at the American University in Beirut, serving as a leader for the Experiment in International living in Japan and Turkey, and acting as a delegate to the Pacific Southeast Women’s Association in Tokyo and the International Genetics Congress in Rome. Beverly was a frequent recipient of Skidmore faculty-research grants and received three National Science Foundation grants for summer study; the third, awarded in 1964, supported her studies in modern microbiology. She was the author of Laboratory Manual for Anatomy and Physiology, published in 1954 and revised in 1958 and 1963.

In addition to her scholarship and full-time teaching, she was a member or officer of the American Cancer Society, American Association of University Women, Adirondack Mountain Club, Saratoga County Health Association, and the New England Congregational Church.

She retired in 1974, after more than 30 years at Skidmore. In 1981, biology colleague Sabra Hook established the E. Beverly Field Women’s Studies Award, given annually for an outstanding student paper or project in women’s studies.

Still a community activist during her retirement years in West Chester, Pa., Beverly worked on behalf of area programs for the aging and benefits for senior citizens.

She is survived by several nieces and nephews.