May Brodbeck
1917-1983. Worked as a chemist on the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb. After earning master’s and doctorate degrees in philosophy at the University of Iowa, she became a preeminent scholar in the philosophy of science at Minnesota, her publications became benchmarks in the field. Named graduate college dean at Minnesota, the New Jersey native was recruited to a Carver professorship and provost at UI. As provost (1974-1981), the first woman in the Big Ten to hold that rank, she was a vigorous and effective proponent of excellence in teaching and research and recruitment of women to the faculty and staff.