Patricia Brown Oral History
According to our records, this oral history is held by the Reuther Library. For more information, please reach out using the contact information on the Reuther Library's Repository Page.
Dublin Core
Title
Patricia Brown Oral History
Description
Patricia Brown is a chemical engineer whose career took a different path than most. Graduating as the first woman chemical engineer from Southwestern Louisiana Institute, Brown went on to earn her master's in chemistry from the University of Texas. After graduation, Brown briefly taught chemistry at Smith College and then became a research associate at Albany Medical College, after which she worked for Ethyl Corporation in Detroit. While at Ethyl her career as a technical information resources specialist began. In 1955 she took a job as a technical writer at Westinghouse's Bettis Atomic Power Division.
After Westinghouse, Brown joined Texas Instruments as Information Services Supervisor in 1957, where she had overall responsibility for administration of the library. She left Texas Instruments for a research career in information storage and retrieval at Battelle Memorial Institute, and later accepted a position in technical information management at Baxter Laboratories in Illinois. Brown remained in the field of information and research for the rest of her career until her retirement from Stepan Company, becoming skilled in data analysis, system design, reporting and publishing, computer operations and management.
An early member of SWE, Brown has been very active in the society, serving as its president from 1961-1963. She has also been affiliated with the American Society for Information Science, the American Chemical Society, and the Society for Technical Communication.
After Westinghouse, Brown joined Texas Instruments as Information Services Supervisor in 1957, where she had overall responsibility for administration of the library. She left Texas Instruments for a research career in information storage and retrieval at Battelle Memorial Institute, and later accepted a position in technical information management at Baxter Laboratories in Illinois. Brown remained in the field of information and research for the rest of her career until her retirement from Stepan Company, becoming skilled in data analysis, system design, reporting and publishing, computer operations and management.
An early member of SWE, Brown has been very active in the society, serving as its president from 1961-1963. She has also been affiliated with the American Society for Information Science, the American Chemical Society, and the Society for Technical Communication.
Oral History Item
Interviewer
Lauren Kata
Interviewee
Brown, Patricia L.
Date Recorded
2003-04-16
Coverage
1930’s-present
Citation
“Patricia Brown Oral History,” Michigan Oral History Database, accessed October 25, 2024, http://www.database.michiganoha.org/items/show/292.