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Herman Russell Branson Major Accomplishments

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Herman Russell Branson was an African American Physicist and Chemist who was born August 14, 1914. He is from Pocahontas Virginia. He was the son of a coal minor. His family moved to Washington, D.C during his adolescent years. Thanks to his mother's encouragement to read he became Valedictorian of his high school. During his adult hood he met his wife Corolynne Gray whom he married and they had two children a son named Herman and A daughter name Corolynne Gertrude.

Branson went to State College in Virginia in 1936 this is where he earned his bachelor's degree in physics and chemist with a summa cum laude. From there he attended the University of Cincinnati where he earned his Ph. D in physics. During this time he was mentored by Boris Paderewski …show more content…

After many months they discovered there were proteins in the alpha and gamma structures. Unfortunately for Branson he went back to Howard University and during this time his partner finished the research and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry and Bronson was never given any credit.
This caused Branson to not teach again, however he did eventually become the President of Central State University, which is in Ohio during 1968 to 1940 where he left and moved to Pennsylvania and became President of Lincoln University in 1970. Branson stayed at this University until he retired in 1985.

Branson's greatest legacy is the discovery of the alpha-helix protein structure in biological systems. This discover is very important to many African Americans due to the fact that is mainly affects their demographics. This ailment is sickle cell anemia, in 1958 he and another colleague Dr. Peck released a detailed paper explaining the condition, He was awarded the Nobel Prize for the aplah helix and meet with President Nixon to allow over $30 million in aid for Black colleges to aid students. Herman Russell Branson died due to heart failure in

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