Marion Kayhart, professor emerita of biology at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, passed away on May 15. She was 98 years old.
A graduate of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, Dr. Kayhart received her master’s degree and doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania, where she was the only woman in her Ph.D. cohort. During her doctoral studies, she researched the effects of hydrogen bombs on wasps.
Before her four-decades-long career at Cedar Crest College, Dr. Kayhart had stints as a part-time instructor at Drew University, an assistant professor of biology at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, and an assistant instructor in genetics at the University of Pennsylvania. She also participated in a prestigious National Science Foundation program at Harvard Medical School.
In 1954, she began her tenure at Cedar Crest College as chair of the biology department. She developed several academic programs, including genetic engineering technology, nuclear medicine technology, and environmental studies. After her retirement in 1993, Dr. Kayhart became the first faculty member ever elected to Cedar Crest’s board of trustees. In recognition of her many contributions to the college, Cedar Crest recently established the Dr. Marion Kayhart Endowed Professorship in Biological Sciences in her honor.