Reatha Clark King is an African American chemist whose early research in fluoride chemistry aided NASA's space program. A large part of her career has been devoted to academic and scientific administration.

Reatha Belle Clark King was born in Pavo, Georgia, on April 11, 1938, the second of three daughters born to Willie and Ola Watts Campbell Clark. Her father, an illiterate farm worker, and her mother, a domestic servant, divorced when King was a young child. Shortly afterward, King moved with her mother and sisters to Moultree, Georgia. There, her life centered around activities at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church and her studies at school. During summers and spare time, King and her sisters earned money by gathering tobacco and picking cotton. Having no role models in scientific professions, they aspired to be hairdressers, teachers, or nurses. King graduated from high school in 1954, the valedictorian of her class.

Awarded...