Jessie Herr ’63

Antioch Class of 1963

Studied Chemistry

Preferred Pronouns are She/Her

Bio- Tell us about your self

I came from a working class family and neighborhood in Cleveland. Few of my high school classmates went to college. I knew of few jobs for educated women except teacher and nurse but, encouraged by my parents and teachers, I set out to be a chemist or physicist in the sputnik era. I was accepted with scholarship aid by Antioch and the University of Chicago. My Latin teacher urged me to go to Chicago because “they dress better there.” That settled me on Antioch along with the co-op program, adult approach (no in loco parentis), and the honor system. I went on to major in chemistry at Antioch, then to a PhD in physical chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley. From there, I moved into computers, which was just beginning to take off.

How did Antioch College’s Co-op program prepare you for work life?

I worked from the age of fifteen – drug store, supermarket, department store-and my mother worked full time as I was growing up. I was used to working. I was privileged to have co-op jobs that showed me the work that scientists do – quality control in a paint factory, research in a national laboratory- and experience as a woman working in a field dominated by men. It also fostered agility and the ability to land on my feet quickly in a new situation.

How did your Antioch experience prepare you for life?

Antioch let me to see beyond stereotypes to work in science and technology and gave me a background in humanities to preserve my humanity while working in technology.

What does our charge to “win a victory for humanity” mean to you?

I have seized opportunities to be useful such as work supporting alternative energy at a national laboratory, at a Silicon Valley startup driving chip innovation, at another startup developing a tool to improve clinical trial outcomes, and in an environmental social justice movement, Slow Food. And, finally, my ongoing support for an 167-year-old startup, Antioch, as it is reinvented.