Helen Mae (Murray) Free (1923 - 2021)

Born 20 Feb 1923 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States

Ancestors

Died 1 May 2021 at age 98 in Elkhart, Indiana, United States

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Biography

Helen (Murray) Free is Notable.

American Chemist; Inventor of the medical dipstick to test glucose presence. Helen Murray was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to coal salesman James Murray and Daisy Piper. At the age of 3, her family moved to Youngstown, Ohio. Her mother died from influenza when she was 6. She grew up primarily in Poland, Ohio, then earned her B.S. from the College of Wooster. She was hired as a research assistant at Miles Laboratories, which later merged with Bayer, in Elkhart, Indiana. Here, she worked under Alfred Free, her future husband.

In the 1950s, they invented chemical reaction dipstick tests to detect the presence of glucose in urine (and soon, blood) immediately, without needing to send a sample to a lab or using bunsen burners. This technology quickly expanded to detect other medical conditions and is now virtually ubiquitous in doctor's offices, hospitals, and at-home kits. It changed the face of diagnostics around the world.

In her retirement, she continued to remain active in promoting science education for children, especially for female and underprivileged students through programs like Kids & Chemistry and Expanding Your Horizons. She also served as President of the American Chemical Society in 1993.

She was inducted into the National Inventors' Hall of Fame in 2000, with her husband posthumously. She was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2009, and inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2011.

She died at the age of 98 in Elkhart, Indiana and was buried in Bainbridge Cemetery, Bainbridge, Ross County, Ohio, United States.^[1]

Census Records

• In the 1930 census at age 7, she was the daughter of James Murray at 201 Ellenwood, Youngstown, Mahoning, Ohio, United States.^[2]
• In the 1940 census at age 17, she was the single daughter of James S Amrray in Poland, Mahoning, Ohio.^[3]
• In the 1950 census at age 27, she was a Bio Chemist and the wife of Alfred H Free in Elkhart, Elkhart, Indiana, United States.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Burial: "U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current"
   Original data: Find a Grave. Find a Grave®. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi; URL: Find A Grave: Memorial #226449621
   Ancestry Record 60525 #195972091 (accessed 28 August 2023)
   Helen M Free burial (died on 1 May 2021) in Bainbridge Cemetery, Bainbridge, Ross County, Ohio, United States of America.
2. ↑ 1930 Census: "1930 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1930; Census Place: Youngstown, Mahoning, Ohio; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 0081; FHL microfilm: 2341579
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6224 #70616834 (accessed 28 August 2023)
   Helen M Murray (7), single daughter, in the household of James Murray (35) at 201 Ellenwood, Youngstown, Mahoning, Ohio, USA. Born in Pennsylvania.
3. ↑ 1940 Census: "1940 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1940; Census Place: Poland, Mahoning, Ohio; Roll: m-t0627-03109; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 50-51
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2442 #29937144 (accessed 28 August 2023)
   Helen Amrray (17), single daughter, in the household of James S Amrray (43) in Poland, Mahoning, Ohio. Born in Pennsylvania.
4. ↑ 1950 Census: "1950 United States Federal Census"
   National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Elkhart, Elkhart, Indiana; Roll: 3266; Page: 74; Enumeration District: 20-11
   Ancestry Record 62308 #134996197 (accessed 28 August 2023)
   Helen M Free (27), wife, Bio Chemist, in the household of Alfred H Free (36) in Elkhart, Elkhart, Indiana, USA. Born in Pennsylvania.

See also:

• Wikipedia: Helen Murray Free
• Wikidata: Item Q7476, en:Wikipedia
• National Women's Hall of Fame
• Penny Warren, "Helen Murray Free obituary" for The Guardian; June 4, 2021.
• Emily Langer, "Helen Murray Free, chemist who revolutionized diabetes testing, dies at 98", for the Washington Post; May 4, 2021.
• Bohning, James J. "Oral History Interview with Helen Murray Free, 1993", sponsored by American Chemical Society. Recording hosted at Science History Institute's digital collections.
• Denise Gellene, "Helen Murray Free Dies at 98; Chemist Developed Diabetes Test"; New York Times. May 3, 2021.