Nell I. Mondy
Nell Mondy & potatoes Cornell University.png
Mondy & potatoes, Cornell University
Born
Nell Irene Mondy

(1921-10-27)27 October 1921
Pocahontas, Arkansas, U.S.
Died25 August 2005(2005-08-25) (aged 83)
Ithaca, New York, U.S.
Alma mater
Known forResearch on the potato,Nutrition
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry, biochemistry, food science
Institutions

Nell I. Mondy (October 27, 1921 – August 25, 2005) was an American biochemist known for her expertise regarding the potato. She spent the majority of her profession at Cornell University where in 1953 she earned a PhD in biochemistry and subsequently served as faculty there for nearly fifty years.[1] In 1997, she received the first Elizabeth Fleming Stier Award.[2]

Biography[edit]

Mondy was born in Pocahontas, Arkansas to her father, Daly (sometimes recorded as Daley) who worked as the county tax assessor and mother, Ethel Caroll Mondy (born February 19, 1889).[3] Her father died of tuberculosis in 1924 when Nell was not yet 3 years old.[4][5][6] After his death her mother took up work as a journalist.[7] Ethel Mondy continued to live with Nell throughout the many locations her work took her.[3]

In 1943, she received her undergraduate degree summa cum laude in chemistry at Ouachita Baptist University followed by a master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin two years later.[7][1] While in Austin she became a member of Iota Sigma Pi.[8] In 1953, she received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from Cornell University in New York State.[7] She taught at Cornell for 48 years starting as an associate professor in nutrition.[1][7] Nell never married but always lived with her mother who moved with her to Ithaca where Ethel died in 1972.[3][5]

In the winter of 1996 at the age of 75, Mondy was attacked by a teenager which left her partially deaf. Due to this incident she became active in victim's rights and elder safety that prompted bills in the New York Senate and Assembly.[9][10] She championed changes to the support victims receive in terms of restitution, navigating bureaucracy, emotional support, and protection.[11]

Professional accomplishments[edit]

Mondy left a large body of writing and research behind her. Her work can be found in numerous publications describing a wide range of topics surrounding potatoes such as how the chemical content of potatoes is affected by amendments in soil or in how they are packaged.[12][13] Her first book was Experimental Food Chemistry, published in 1980.[14]

In 1960, Mondy was instrumental in setting up the first International Food Congress after receiving a NATO Award to go to Scotland and be a part of a seminar on the recent advances in Food Science.[15][7] In the middle of that decade she worked as a consultant with the R.T. French company, (known today as French's). At Florida State University she worked as a professor of food and nutrition from 1960 to 1970. Under the US Government she worked for the USDA and from 1979 to 1980 she consulted for the Environmental Protection Agency.[7]

In 2001, she published an autobiography, You Never Fail Until You Stop Trying: The Story of a Pioneer Women Chemist. The book focuses on Dr. Mondy's challenges being a woman in science and her work to improve worldwide food and nutrition, specifically in third world countries.[16]

Awards[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "CU Emerita Mondy Honored for Work" (newspaper article). The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, New York. June 11, 1997. p. 3.
  2. ^ a b "Mondy Pioneered Biochem". The Cornell Daily Sun. September 2, 2005. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Ithacan Dies". The Ithaca Journal. June 2, 1972. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  4. ^ Fourteenth Census of the United States: 1920-Population. United States: Department of Commerce - Bureau of the Census. 1921. pp. Shiloh Township, Randolph County, Arkansas.
  5. ^ a b Mondy, Nell Irene (2001). You never fail until you stop trying : the story of a pioneer woman chemist. Pittsburgh, Pa.: Dorrance Pub. Co. ISBN 0805946284. OCLC 47629931.
  6. ^ Arkansas Death Record Index 1924-1933. The State of Arkansas. p. 4103.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Two Thousand Notable Americans. United States: American Biographical Institute. 1983. pp. 350. ISBN 9780934544238.
  8. ^ "ISP Gives Annual Tea: Women Chemists to Honor Austinites". The Austin American. April 18, 1945. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  9. ^ Stanforth, Lauren (September 3, 1996). "Seniors and Crime...a call for help". The Ithaca Journal. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  10. ^ "Legislation would help at-risk senior citizens". The Ithaca Journal. March 14, 1997. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  11. ^ Mondy, Nell (April 16, 2001). "Victims: Society's Endangered Species". The Ithaca Journal. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  12. ^ Mondy & Naylor & Phillips, Nell & Lewis & Janet (1984). "Total glycoalkaloid and mineral content of potatoes grown in soils amended with sewage sludge". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 32 (6): 1256–1260. doi:10.1021/jf00126a012.
  13. ^ Gosselin, Barry & MONDY, NELL (2008). "Effect of Packaging Materials on the Chemical Composition of Potatoes". Journal of Food Science.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Experimental Food Chemistry. Avi Pub. Co. 1980. ISBN 08-705-53437.
  15. ^ a b "Nell Irene Mondy Obituary". The Ithaca Journal. September 7, 2005.
  16. ^ Pearce, Jeremy (2005-09-03). "Nell I. Mondy, Biochemist and Potato Expert, Dies at 83". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  17. ^ "Graduate Women of Science - HONORARY MEMBERSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTS". Graduate Women in Science. November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  18. ^ "The Potato Association of America - honorary life members list". The Potato Association of America.
  19. ^ "Historic Fellows of the AAAS". American Association for the Advancement of Science.
  20. ^ "IFT Fellows". Institute of Food Technologists. 14 November 2019.

External links[edit]