Antoinette Frederick

I was born in Providence, RI. I attended Wakefield Elementary, St. Francis Parochial and South Kingstown High School (where I was proud to be a member of the Majorette Squad) in Wakefield, Rhode Island. While in high school I worked in my parents’ business, Reed’s Beauty Salon, after school hours. There,I met many local, national, and international customers who inspired me to pursue some career where I could further my interests in travel.

Following marriage to a Master’s degree candidate at URI, I spent my honeymoon in the process of moving to Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. While at Washington State University I held the position of Archivist for the university library, and was co-sponsor of the Pilgrim Club (the college youth group for the First Congregational Church). From there I moved to Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA, where I organized and co-sponsored the Westminster Fellowship, a college aged youth group of the Scotlandville Presbyterian Church. Additionally, I served as an adviser and accompanied the church’s high school youth group to youth conferences at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, AL. Along with my husband, I was nominated for an appointment as Danforth Faculty Associate. During my tenure at Southern University, I held a secretarial position for the Chairman of the Biology Department, chairperson of the Faculty Wives group, and concentrated on raising three children. I was also very active in other church activities and held the position of Church Secretary for the Scotlandville Presbyterian Church.

Following nine years in Baton Rouge, LA, my family took a sabbatical at the University of Illinois in Urbana, IL. My activities consisted of aiding students, raising a family and I began responsibilities as a Den Mother for the local scouting organization. Subsequently, I moved back to Baton Rouge for one year after which the family moved to Atlanta, GA where my husband assumed the position of chairman of the Biology Department at Atlanta University. Positions I held at Atlanta University include secretary for the National Science Foundation sponsored summer and academic program for secondary teachers.  Subsequently, I served as the secretary of the Department of Biology. Other activities in which I was involved included leadership in Cub Scouts as a Den Mother, and chairperson of the Band Parents at O’keefe High School and advisor for The Sound Of Youth, a high school youth program on a local television station.

Other activities in Atlanta involved a secretarial position at Radcliffe Presbyterian Church and as an officer in the Tuskegee Institute Alumni Association. The latter of which honored me with inclusion as an Alumnus of the “Class of ‘43”. After fourteen years, I moved to my present home in Alexandria, VA. I have held secretarial positions at Howard University, located in Washington, DC., in the English, Foreign Languages, Comprehensive Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s office, and was the administrative secretary to the Commander of the Air Force R.O.T.C. While in the latter position, I was honored with induction as a Tuskegee Airman by General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. as a result of the manner in which a project under my command was executed.

I am and have been a member of many professional scientific and civic organizations such as: NAACP, American Business Women, American Association Of University Women, American Women in Science, Botanical Society Of America, Association of Southeastern Biologists, American Association For The Advancement Of Sciences, Botanical Society of Washington, Tuskegee National Alumni Association, Mount Vernon Hospital Auxiliary, and the Rotary Club. I have traveled extensively throughout the United States (49 of the 50 states) and many countries abroad (including; the former Soviet Union, China, Japan, Spain, Australia, Barbados, Greece, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Austria, England, France, Puerto Rico, and Finland). I continue to have and still maintain close contact with many biologists, worldwide. I have worked extensively in organizing trips for graduate and college students to attend science meetings to broaden their knowledge, experience and networking. My present family consists of three children, all of whom are college graduates and are likewise very active in their respective localities; ten biological grandchildren, and two foster grandchildren of which many have college degrees. I retired in 1996 but still assist students at Howard University, serve as a volunteer at Mount Vernon Hospital, monitor my families’ activities and, best of all, travel.

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