Ernest Everett Just Print E-mail



Ernest Everett Just was born August 14, 1883 in Charleston, South Carolina. Just attended college at Dartmouth and graduated magna cum laude in 1907. He then went to the University of Chicago in 1916 where he earned his Ph. D in zoology.
In November 17, 1911 Mr. Just helped three Howard students with establishing Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Upon graduation Ernest encountered his next task at hand. He wanted to work for a college or university, but knew that was going to be hard. The reason for it being hard for him to get hired was because the schools faculty was white and African Americans just were not hired on. He decided the best place for him to go work would be a historically-black Howard University in Washington D.C. Ernest took a teaching position and was put in charge of the new biology department at the university. From 1912-1941 he was head of the Department of Zoology.

Just was very interested in Marine Biology. Ernest became friends with Dr. Frank R. Lillie who was the chief of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts. Frank invited Ernest to come spend the summers so he could study Marine Biology. Starting in 1909 for the next 19 years Ernest would be Franks assistant at the MBL.

Over the years Ernest wrote more than 50 scientific papers on his research at MBL and had them published. He also wrote a very important text book of the 20th century called Biology of the Cell Surface.

Ernest did some experiments in Italy then to his amazement in 1930 he was invited to Berlin, Germany. He was asked to come to Kaiser Wilhelm Institute where research was conducted by Nobel Prize winners.

In 1940 Mr. Just was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died October 27, 1941.


 
Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)