Basic Information
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Bettye Washington Greene |
| Birth | March 20, 1935; records cite Fort Worth or Palestine, Texas |
| Death | June 16, 1995; Midland, Michigan (age 60) |
| Education | B.S., Chemistry, Tuskegee Institute (1955); Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, Wayne State University (1965; some sources list 1962) |
| Dissertation | “Determination of Particle Size Distributions in Emulsions by Light Scattering” (1965) |
| Field | Physical chemistry; polymer and colloid science; latex technology |
| Employer | Dow Chemical Company (1965–1990) |
| Roles at Dow | Research Chemist; Senior Research Chemist (1970); Senior Research Specialist (1975) |
| Known For | One of the first Black women to earn a chemistry Ph.D.; first African American woman Ph.D. chemist in a professional role at Dow |
| Key Contributions | Latex and emulsion polymerization; paper coating interfaces; adhesive formulations |
| Patents (selected) | Stable latexes with phosphorus surface groups (1985); Composite sheet using phosphorus-modified latex (1986); Latex-based adhesive via emulsion polymerization (1990) |
| Professional Honors | Sigma Xi; National Historic Chemical Landmark honoree (posthumous, 2023) |
| Community | Charter member, Midland Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (1984) |
| Parents | George Washington (father); Kian (Kian/Kianne) Criss (mother) |
| Spouse | William M. Greene (married 1955–1995) |
| Children | Willetta Greene-Johnson; Victor M. Greene; Lisa Kianne Greene |
Early Life and Education
Bettye Washington Greene’s story begins in Jim Crow–era Texas, where official records diverge on a detail as elemental as birthplace—either Fort Worth or Palestine. What never wavers is the arc of her determination. She moved through segregated schools—Our Lady of Mercy Elementary, James E. Guinn Junior High, and I.M. Terrell High School—graduating around 1952. In classrooms where resources were thin but expectations towering, she learned to turn scarcity into resolve.
In 1955, she got a B.S. in chemistry from Tuskegee Institute, a Black excellence incubator. She married engineer and Air Force veteran William M. Greene the same year. Next, she obtained a Ph.D. at Wayne State University under physical chemist Wilfred Heller in Detroit. After tutoring undergraduates and raising children, she studied light and particle stubbornness and completed her doctorate on light scattering and emulsion particle size distributions in 1965 (some records indicate 1962). Her thesis guided her career in latex and adhesive industrial chemistry.
A Scientist at Dow: Breaking Barriers and Building Materials
In 1965, Greene joined Dow Chemical Company’s E.C. Britton Research Laboratory in Midland, Michigan. The hire was historic: she became the first African American woman Ph.D. chemist appointed to a professional role at Dow. Inside a field and an era dominated by White men, she navigated with quiet authority and empirical rigor.
Her expertise spanned colloid chemistry, interfacial phenomena, and emulsion polymerization—the science of stabilizing tiny worlds so they can serve the larger one. She consulted across groups working with Saran and styrene-butadiene latex, advising on stability, film formation, and surface behavior. Promotions followed not as ceremonial gestures, but as acknowledgments of impact:
| Year | Role | Focus Areas |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Research Chemist | Emulsion polymerization; latex-paper interactions; surface tension methods |
| 1970 | Senior Research Chemist | Coatings and adhesives; colloid stability; product applications |
| 1975 | Senior Research Specialist (Designed Polymers Division) | Tailored polymer architectures; application-driven formulation |
Across 25 years, she became the kind of scientist companies rely on and colleagues quote. She retired in 1990, leaving behind a portfolio that extended from lab notebooks to patents, from application notes to internal consulting across divisions.
Patents and Scientific Contributions
Greene’s work captured the fine balance at interfaces: where polymers meet pigment, where paper meets latex, where theory meets manufacturing line. She refined how latex particles could be designed, stabilized, and coaxed into performance—key to paints, coatings, adhesives, and paper finishing. Selected highlights include:
| Patent/Work | Year | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Stable Latexes Containing Phosphorus Surface Groups | 1985 | Introduced phosphorus-bearing surface groups to enhance latex stability, improving performance in coatings and paper finishes. |
| Composite Sheet Prepared with Stable Latexes Containing Phosphorus Surface Groups | 1986 | Applied phosphorus-modified latexes to composite sheets, boosting adhesion and uniformity in paper coatings. |
| Latex-Based Adhesive Prepared by Emulsion Polymerization | 1990 | Advanced adhesives via specific copolymerization strategies, improving tack, durability, and processing. |
| Dissertation: Light Scattering for Emulsions | 1965 | Provided analytical frameworks for particle size distributions in emulsions—essential for controlling latex properties. |
She also published on latex redispersement and developed surface tension methodologies for industrial labs. Her work translated the physics of colloids into practical recipes, binding the elegance of theory with the grit of manufacturing reality. Think of it as engineering the skin of a product—the thin film that makes a paper glossy, a paint durable, or an adhesive dependable.
Family and Personal Life
Greene married William M. Greene in July 1955, forging a partnership that steadied the long nights and laboratory detours ahead. Family and science threaded together at the dinner table; her children recall how she folded chemical language into daily life. The couple raised three children—Willetta Greene-Johnson, Victor M. Greene, and Lisa Kianne Greene—each carving paths in academia, health, and education, respectively.
Her parents, George Washington and Kian (Kian/Kianne) Criss, nurtured her education amid a segregated South where ambition often collided with structural barriers. No siblings are reliably recorded, and Greene herself kept a private profile. Yet her community ties were strong: in 1984, she helped charter the Midland Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, supporting Black women’s leadership and service. She was also elected to Sigma Xi, a quiet testament to the research rigor that framed her career.
The arc of her life closed in Midland, Michigan, in 1995. Sixty years young, she left a family and a field shaped by her precision and perseverance.
Legacy and Honors
Greene’s legacy moves like a current through the polymer sciences: stabilizing particles, refining interfaces, and anchoring performance to first principles. She is widely recognized as one of the first Black women to earn a chemistry Ph.D., and the first African American woman Ph.D. chemist appointed to a professional research position at Dow Chemical Company. In 2023, her career was honored with designation as a National Historic Chemical Landmark—an acknowledgment not just of a résumé, but of a barrier broken and a path cleared.
Her influence is twofold. Technically, her contributions to latex stabilization, emulsion polymerization, and paper coating interfaces continue to undergird formulations still vital in industry. Culturally, her presence in the lab—through the 1960s, 70s, and 80s—challenged the unspoken boundaries of who could be seen as a scientist, a specialist, a leader. For students from underrepresented backgrounds, her life reads like a lab manual for persistence: control the variables you can; measure carefully; let the data speak.
Timeline at a Glance
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1935 | Born in Texas (records cite Fort Worth or Palestine) |
| ~1952 | Graduates from I.M. Terrell High School, Fort Worth |
| 1955 | B.S. in Chemistry, Tuskegee Institute; marries William M. Greene |
| 1965 | Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, Wayne State University |
| 1965 | Joins Dow Chemical Company as Research Chemist |
| 1970 | Promoted to Senior Research Chemist |
| 1975 | Promoted to Senior Research Specialist |
| 1984 | Helps charter Midland Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority |
| 1985–1990 | Secures multiple patents in latex and adhesives |
| 1990 | Retires from Dow Chemical Company |
| 1995 | Passes away in Midland, Michigan |
| 2023 | Posthumously honored as a National Historic Chemical Landmark |
FAQ
Where was Bettye Washington Greene born?
Records differ, listing either Fort Worth or Palestine, Texas.
When did she earn her Ph.D.?
She completed her Ph.D. research at Wayne State University with a dissertation dated 1965; some records note 1962.
What was her doctoral research about?
She developed light scattering methods to determine particle size distributions in emulsions.
What did she do at Dow Chemical?
She specialized in latexes, emulsion polymerization, and interfaces for coatings, paper, and adhesives from 1965 to 1990.
Why is she historically significant?
She was among the first Black women with a chemistry Ph.D. and the first African American woman Ph.D. chemist in a professional role at Dow.
What patents is she known for?
She patented phosphorus-modified latexes for coatings and paper, and novel latex-based adhesive formulations in the 1980s–1990.
Who were her family members?
She married William M. Greene and had three children: Willetta, Victor M., and Lisa Kianne; her parents were George Washington and Kian Criss.
Was she involved in community organizations?
Yes, she was a charter member of the Midland Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a member of Sigma Xi.
When did she work at Dow and when did she retire?
She joined in 1965 and retired in 1990 after 25 years.
When did she die?
She died on June 16, 1995, in Midland, Michigan, at age 60.
