Dr. Moddie Daniel Taylor

Dr. Moddie Daniel Taylor. , Born into poverty in Nymph, Conecuh County, on March 3, 1912. Moddie Daniel Taylor was the only child of Herbert and Celeste (Oliver) Taylor. After the family relocated to Missouri, Taylor attended Lincoln University, graduating as valedictorian in 1935 with a degree in chemistry. He then earned two postgraduate degrees from the University of Chicago. , Upon completion of his doctorate. Taylor worked as an associate chemist on the Manhattan Project, the top-secret mission to create an American atomic bomb. One of the few African American scientists who worked on the project, he received an award of merit from the Secretary of War Robert Patterson for his efforts in 1946. Thereafter Taylor became a professor of chemistry at Lincoln University. He became a chemistry professor at Howard University in 1948 and chaired the department from 1969-1976. , Taylor's First Principles of Chemistry became a standard textbook for colleges throughout the country. In 1960, the Manufacturing Chemists Association named Taylor one of the nation's leading chemistry professors. During a distinguished career, he received honors from the Washington Institute of Chemists, the American Chemical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. , Dr. Moddie Daniel Taylor died on September 15, 1976, in Washington, D.C.