Lynk, Beebe Steven

Impact on the world

Became one of the first African American women in the country to teach chemistry and medical Latin, and co-founded a university that trained Black physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, and lawyers for over two decades.

Life & background

A graduate of Lane College, Lynk married physician Miles Vandahurst Lynk in 1893 and became one of the first Black women in the United States to teach chemistry and medical Latin. She co-founded the University of West Tennessee with her husband in 1900, taking out a loan against their home to fund the school's land purchase, and taught at the institution as it trained hundreds of Black medical and pharmacy professionals over its 24-year existence.

Sources

1. BlackPast.org; African American Registry; Memphis Magazine