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Beebe Steven Lynk, an African American chemist, was born in Mason, Tennessee, on October 24, 1872, the daughter of Henderson and Judiam (Boyd) Steven. She earned a degree from Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee, in 1892. On April 12, 1893, she married Dr. Miles Vandahurst Lynk, known both as the founder, editor and publisher of Medical and Surgical Observer (the first medical journal issued by a black man in the United States), and as the founder of the University of West Tennessee (1900). After earning a Ph. C. (a degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry) from the University of West Tennessee in 1903, Beebe Lynk became one of two female faculty members (out of ten) at the University’s new medical school.
Beebe Lynk authored a book called Advice to Colored Women (1896) and was active in the African American women’s club movement,. An advocate for women’s rights, she was a member of the National Federation of Women’s Clubs, serving as Treasurer of the Tennesee State Federation of that organization.
Beebe Steven Lynk died on Nov. 11, 1948.[3] Very little information is known about her life, in part because the University of West Tennessee no longer exists. Further sources on her may be available through the Tennessee State archives.
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