Ettie Steele

In the history of the Chemistry Department of St. Andrews, there was one woman who made an indelible imprint — Ettie Stewart Steele.20 Steele obtained an M.A. followed by a B.Sc. in 1914, and then commenced research with Irvine on the structure of mannitol.21 Appointed as University Assistant in 1919, she received a Ph.D. in 1920 for her research work, following which she was promoted to Lecturer and Assistant in 1921, and to Lecturer in 1924. Steele contributed to five research papers on carbohydrates, including one under her name alone. 

When Irvine became Principal of the University in 1921 and Robert Robinson arrived to assume the Professorship in Chemistry, Robinson noted I worked in the private laboratory also occupied partly by Dr. Catherine [sic] Steele, a colleague of Irvine s who kept alive some of his work on sugars, but this petered out on account of the onerous duties [of Irvine]. 22 She continued as Lecturer until her retirement in 1956. 

In 1930, Steele was appointed Warden of the women s students residence, then called Chatten House (later McIntosh 

a post she held until 1959. Her duties filled much of her time, as her obituarist noted  

Each alumnus who knew Ettie Steele will have a particular and personal recollection — of her penetrating blue eyes, mirrored but not eclipsed by the blue of her Ph.D. gown, which she wore with such pride and distinction of her firmness in dealing with young male intruders in McIntosh Hall of her infinite kindness and concern for students, a caring interest maintained to the end of her life as her Christmas correspondence bore witness.20 

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No day passed, even in retirement, when the institution was not central to her thoughts, and from her flat in St. Andrews she jealously watched over the affairs of the University and was firm in her comments upon current issues — comments which were trenchant and apposite.. .. To Ettie Steele life was full of fortunate and happy events. In her own eyes her association with the University was one of supreme privilege and she considered herself unworthy of the responsibilities she carried with such competence and humour.20... 

Isobel Agnes Smith36 was the stalwart of Dundee, just as Ettie Steele was the backbone of St. Andrews Chemistry Department. Born in 1897, daughter of Robert Graham Smith,... 

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