Roberta Eleanor (Omer) Denton (1910 - 2001)

Born 23 Aug 1910 in Evanston, Cook, Illinois, United States

Ancestors

Died 30 Nov 2001 at age 91 in Cedarburg, Ozaukee, Wisconsin, United States

Biography

Eleanor was born in 1910 to Lewis Omer and Alice Nevins in Evanston, Illinois.

In 1931, Eleanor earned her A.B. from Carthage College in Carthage, Illinois, where her father was the athletic director.

Roberta Eleanor earned her Chemistry M.S. in 1933 and Ph.D. in 1936 from the University of Nebraska, under the direction of Dr. Cliff S. Hamilton ^[1]. The title of her Ph.D. thesis was "Arsonated derivatives of mixed ketones."

In 1939, Eleanor married Clark Denton. They had at least one child.

In 1940, Eleanor earned a B.S. in Library Science from the University of Illinois. In 1940, she and Clark moved to Michigan where Eleanor was head research librarian at Wyandotte Chemicals in Wyandotte. In 1969, Wyandotte was acquired by BASF.

In 1978, Clark passed away in Green Valley, Arizona. After a few years, Eleanor returned to Wisconsin to live near relatives.

In 2001, Eleanor passed away in Wisconsin.

The Daily Nebraskan (Lincoln, Nebraska) November 10, 1935, page 4

Iota Sigma Pi to Honor Faculty Ladies at Tea

Iota Sigma Pi, girls honorary chemistry society, will entertain ladies of the chemistry faculty and girls majoring in chemistry with a tea from 3 to 5 this afternoon in Ellen Smith hall, according to an announcement by Eleanor Omer, president of the sorority.

Miss Rebecca Gibbons of the home economics department will discuss her experiences on "A Trip Thru Mexico."

Research Management Looks at the Technical Library" by W. F. Waldeck, Special Libraries, January 1956 [1]

Our library, under the leadership of Dr. Eleanor Denton, who has been with the research division almost since its start, is organized not only to serve the laboratories I have mentioned but also the various sales, technical service, manufacturing, and engineering departments. The basic problem facing our library, and I am sure most other libraries of its kind throughout the world, is the proper assimilation of the increasing flood of knowledge that pertains to our activities.

Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Arizona) 17 Apr 1980, Thursday, page 56

Tapping Retired Talent

The Sahuarita Unified School District is benefiting from "a million dollars worth of talent," all for free.

The talent is in the form of about 50 Green Valley retirees who are volunteer aides in nearby schools. Their million-dollar value was estimated by one of the volunteers.

...Also in the library, shelving books and helping students, is Eleanor Denton, an AAUW [American Association of University Women] member who has a doctorate in chemistry and a library-science degree. Although the elementary library may have little demand for a chemical-literature expert, the retired research chemist said, "I have no experience teaching, so I thought I'd do more good here."

1920 Federal Census in Clayton, Illinois:

• Alexander S Omer 69 born Kentucky
• wife Mary E 68 born Illinois
• son Lewis 43 born Illinois
• daughter-in-law Edith E 42 born Illinois
• granddaughter Eleanor R 9 born Illinois
• granddaughter Mary H 5 born Illinois

1940 Federal Census in Detroit, Michigan:

• Clark Denton 30 [no occupation listed] born Illinois
• wife Eleanor 29 Chemical Company Librarian born Illinois
• sister-in-law Mary Omer 25 Chemical Company Private Secretary born Illinois

Sources

1. ↑ https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAIDP14131/

• 1910 Illinois, Cook County Birth Registers for Roberta Eleanor Omer whose parents are Lewis Omer and Edith Alice Nevins [2]
• 1920 Federal Census [3]
• 1930 Federal Census [4]
• 1940 Federal Census [5]
• 1940 University of Illinois [6]
• Findagrave [7]