On April 16, the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota campus hosted a private event for more than 70 people to celebrate Dr. Reatha Clark King’s trailblazing life.
The celebration of achievements featured tributes and testimonies from former colleagues, family, and friends. Before the program began, guests stood in line to purchase Dr. King’s new book, “Find a Trail or Blaze One.”
Katie Sample, one of Dr. King’s friends and a 90-year-old church member from Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Minneapolis, said, “I already read the book on Kindle and plan on reading it again. It’s a great story.”
Hailing from humble beginnings in Moultrie, GA., Dr. King developed a robust appetite for learning and problem-solving. As a 12-year-old, she recalls waking with her sister at 4:00 a.m. to pick 200 lbs. of cotton for six dollars a day to help her mother make ends meet.
During short breaks from cotton picking, Dr. King practiced her multiplication tables on the ground in the dirt with her callused finger.
She didn’t let the expected social and educational limitations for young Black girls get in her way. When she told her family that she would graduate from school and major in chemistry, her aunt wanted her to stop her educational pursuits and find a husband. Dr. King respectfully ignored her aunt’s advice and eventually earned a doctorate in chemistry.
Her chemistry degree later paved the way for her to become the first African American woman to work as a research chemist at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) in Washington, DC.
Her work at NBS, which included measuring accurate heat levels of gaseous fluorine compound formations, was recognized as a valuable contribution to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) space program.
Dr. King later became one of the hidden figures for the NASA space program with her invention of a coiled cooling tube for rocket fuel. The tube prevented the spacecraft from burning up. Dr. King’s invention helped Apollo 11 reach the moon safely in 1969.
Breaking barriers was a regular activity for Dr. King. Some of the many positions she held include the following: the first African American woman and second president of Metropolitan State University in Minneapolis, MN, from 1977 to 1988; vice president of General Mills Corporation; and president and executive director of the General Mills Foundation, from 1988 to 2002, to name a few positions.
Scott King, her youngest son, welcomed the audience and encouraged them to treasure this moment because book signings are rare. Former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, a trailblazer in her own right, reflected on a few memories with Dr. King as a trusted friend, confidante, and mentor.
Sayles Belton and Dr. King first met in 1977, after Dr. King accepted the position as president of Metropolitan State University. Sayles Belton said,” I watched her over the years, and the vision for Metro State University come to life. Reatha laid the foundation for a stronger Minnesota State University system that we see today.
Sayles Belton praised Dr. King and General Mills for the Hawthorne Huddle in North Minneapolis and the positive impact their leadership, commitment to community safety, and economic impact had on a troubled area.
Kim Nelson, a mentee of Dr. King’s after meeting her at General Mills in 1988, said, “The relevance of her presence for me meant that I belonged at General Mills. It meant that I could be successful at General Mills. I wasn’t the only beneficiary of Reatha’s influence. She nurtured a generation of young Black leaders at our company, and many of them are sprinkled through the highest levels of corporate America today.”
Chris Nelson, Dr. King’s nephew, an 18-year-old senior at De La Salle High School in Minneapolis, said, “Although I have not read the book or had the privilege of working with my aunt, I can always gain wisdom from her.”
Margarita “Maggie” Rubalcava said in praise of King: “You took a 22-year-old Latina who knew nothing, and you hired me as your assistant. On the first day, you took me to a United Way kickoff and introduced me as your colleague. I almost fell off my chair.”
When Dr. King was introduced, the audience gave a standing ovation. She thanked everyone for their kind words and shared a few excerpts from her book, with a few charming and heartwarming stories. Afterward, a long line formed to have their book autographed.
“I thought the event was fantastic,” Dr. King said. “I saw friends like Mark Belton and his wife; it was heartwarming, and Kim’s remarks were over the top. I feel like I’m standing on the shoulders of giants and my ancestors. I’m running along the trail they have mapped out for me.”
Go here to watch a video of the program courtesy of the University of Minnesota.
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