By Amanda Purser
Clarence Page Endowed Chair of Mathematics and Science Education, Professor Ann Nalley holds many distinguished titles and hoists a legacy at Cameron University that spans 56 incredible years.
Dr. Nalley is a true trailblazer in every sense of the title, and her remarkable career, which has been spent almost exclusively as an Aggie, has allowed her to witness and experience many foundational moments.
“When you live a long time, you get to be the first to do a lot of things,” Nalley said humbly. “So, I am very blessed that the Lord has seen fit to let me keep living, to keep going, to keep teaching.”
Nalley started her career at Cameron in the fall of 1969, the year after it converted from a Community College to become a four-year university, and she saw the first ever Aggie Bachelor of Science graduates in 1970.
“Cameron was the right place for me, because they support the faculty, and back then especially so,” Nalley said, “we got a Title III Developing Institution’s Grant, and we had a lot of things happen for us then, because of that.”
Realizing she had to return to school to complete her doctoral degree in order to teach at the newly established 4-year university, Nalley got right to work requesting funding and seeking out her next institution.
She applied for and received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant from Texas Women’s University (TWU) and that summer she attended an instrumentation workshop that applied 8 credits towards her continuing education. She returned to teach another year in Cameron’s chemistry department before committing fully to a PhD program at TWU the following summer.
By 1975, Nalley had completed her PhD in Radiation Chemistry and used her experience directing undergraduates to assist with research at Cameron in the small lab they built to accommodate her.
In 1978, Nalley became the first woman to be promoted to the position of professor at Cameron, acknowledging that when she began teaching, the gender-biased policies and the industry expectations for women were discriminatory in many ways.
“When I first came here, they wouldn’t allow women to wear slacks, I had to wear a dress and heels to class, so I did,” Nalley said, “you do whatever you have to do to survive.”
While getting her master’s at Oklahoma State University in the fall of ’66 where she was one of three women in a class of 42, Nalley recalled there was one ladies bathroom located in the basement of the chemistry building they worked in daily.
“Then they didn’t think women were supposed to be in Chemistry, so we signed a petition, the girls and I, and we got all the guys to sign it,” Nalley said, “and they converted the men’s room on the 2nd floor to a ladies room, so we didn’t have to go down the basement.”
Nalley said that the women celebrated this small feat by going out to buy fake flowers, an act that illuminated an early spark in dismantling the patriarchy of the society she had to endure.
“All they did was take the ‘men’ off and put ‘ladies’ on it, that’s how they changed it,” Nalley remarked, “there was still 3 stalls and 6 urinals in there — so we decorated the urinals.”
Times had begun to change after she completed her PhD. The Federal Government recognized the influx of women in sciences, and they encouraged it with national laboratories and more grant opportunities.
“I always tell my students, you should apply for everything, you may not get accepted, but only those who apply get it,” Nalley said.
Speaking from experience as she was accepted to go to Argonne National Laboratory for a unique opportunity to explore nuclear chemistry in a time when the nation feared radiation and it’s future was uncertain.
These sabbaticals to maintain her credentials and explore her field, were a major selling point for Nalley to stay at Cameron, as they have always supported her endeavors and encouraged her outreach and efforts.
She got involved with the National Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi, becoming a delegate for Cameron and showing her leadership as she was quickly appointed to their Board of Directors. Followed by a Regent to the Board in 1980, Nalley went on to serve 21 years and became the 3rd woman in history to be elected a National President of their board.
Nalley continued her research through the late 80’s, learning laser photochemistry at University of Texas at Dallas, and in ’92 she applied for another NSF Grant to obtain one of their research fellowships.
“I got it and went three years down at the University of Southern Mississippi and I learned polymer science and computer molecular modeling and now we have the computer molecular modeling lab here at Cameron,” Nalley said. “I wrote a grant that got funded.”
Nalley went on to become a distinguished member of the American Chemical Society, after being elected in 1997 to take office as a District Director, she made history on their Board of Directors and continued that trend during her time within the organization.
A lot has changed in Nalley’s 56-year tenure at Cameron, more than policy allowing women to wear slacks. She has seen the campus change significantly over the years, classroom sizes increased and the class populations became refined for a more personalized experience.
Nothing has been more impactful than the evolution of technology that Nalley has witnessed unfold throughout her career. From electronic calculators to computers across campus, and even the invention of email and internet coming along to transform communication and capabilities.
“So, everything about the way we teach, technology has changed,” Nalley affirmed. “I keep telling the kids all the time, in fact, that I love teaching now, because we have so much technology in our laboratories.”
Her current research involves a $40,000 microwave reactor that Nalley wrote a grant for, to take their testing to the next level from the former microwave ovens that were used.
“And now, we can take reactions that have to run 14 hours, and we can do them in 10 minutes.”
Since the 90’s, Nalley has typically conducted two summer STEM academy’s each year, one is Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mathematics, the other is Nano-explorers. She recalls how much technology has changed the way she instructs these interactive camps. Also, the impact it has on the youth, who can now measure their individual G-force on the rollercoasters at Frontier City with a cellphone app, instead of the one bulky box groups patiently waited to use years ago.
During one session, a camper pulled off skin from a sunburn and offered it to be ran in their FTIR, a first for Nalley who had never profiled human skin before. The student returned to a later camp and informed Nalley that his mother had framed his piece of skin.
“I wake up every morning, and I look at my wall, and there’s my FTIR of my human skin,” the student said.
“Could you imagine what kind of inspiration that is for these kids to go on? I think that’s why I love teaching and I love teaching Chemistry,” Nalley said. “It’s like I am kind of re-living my life, because I never had any of this when I was growing up.”
The bond Nalley shares with the thousands of students she has taught and influenced over the years is deep. The mutual relationship from her living vicariously through their technologically advanced studies adds to her instructional style, motivation and curiosity.
“Being a chemist is so exciting, and teaching chemistry here and having the equipment to work with to teach all this to the kids,” Nalley said, “our kids go out of here really well prepared to meet the world, and so they’re accepted in medical schools, graduate schools — we have a legacy.”
A legacy is built over time with tireless dedication, perseverance and persistence. It takes a certain kind of strength and resilience to not only succeed in a male-dominant industry, but to break down barriers, smash through glass ceilings and blaze powerful new trails for young girls and women everywhere to follow.
“When I was a little kid, I grew up thinking I wanted to be Marie Curie, and I wanted to win the Nobel Prize,” Nalley recalled, “but more than anything, I wanted to make it better for women. I thought I could do it here in the United States, but I never dreamed I would have an opportunity to do it at an International level.”
Nalley has achieved incredible feats such as being the first woman named Oklahoma Chemist of the Year in 1996, and in 2019 being recognized as one of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Distinguished Women in Chemistry, and presented the award in Paris, France.
Arguably one of her most influential moments came after Nalley was the first woman ever appointed to the board of the International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies (PACIFICHEM) in 2001, a position she held until 2010. Early on, Nalley traveled to Japan to meet the emperor and brought gifts that represented her Oklahoma roots.
“So, we were guests of the emperor in Japan, in the imperial palace, and I took the white buffalo,” Nalley said, “the Natives believe when there is an albino buffalo born, that it’s a symbol of peace, prosperity and hope for the future.”
A translator explained the Native American legend to the emperor and those sentiments were echoed back to her in a telegram from the emperor himself, sent to Cameron’s chemistry department following Nalley’s election as President of the American Chemical Society.
“I was their president in 2006, and I was the 5th woman in 138 years to serve,” Nalley said. “I was the first person ever from an undergraduate university and the first person from Oklahoma to serve as their president.”
At that time, Japanese women were not permitted to teach in universities, but with her inspiring accomplishments, a group of women from Japan reached out to Nalley requesting help.
“I wrote a proposal and sent it to the Japanese Government to allow the Japanese women to teach, and it was funded.” Nalley added, “I’ve been to Japan 11 times, and I’ve been back to speak at gender-equity conferences.”
This fall, Nalley was surprised and honored with one of the best gifts a dedicated professor could ever hope for. She went to attend a strategic planning meeting, having no idea what was about to happen.
President Hunt announced that he wanted to talk to the group, before they get into the meeting, and went on to explain that one of the great things about coming to Cameron, is getting to work with really great people.
“And then he started describing things that this person had done, and I thought, well, that sounds like me,” Nalley said through a smile. “And then he said that he was pleased to announce that Cameron University has established an Endowed Lectureship in my name.”
President Hunt is truly grateful to have the privilege of bestowing this significant distinction to such a valued member of the Cameron University faculty.
“We were able to permanently endow the Dr. Ann Nalley Lectureship in Chemistry,” Hunt said. “I think Ann really represents the very best of what being a professor means to the students, to their community, to their discipline.”
Hunt explained that he frequently asks students and alumni what their favorite course or professor is/was at Cameron, and he recently had a person tell him that they took Dr. Nalley’s class in 1979 and she was their favorite.
“What makes Ann such an extraordinary professor is — I have students who took her last year who say the same thing,” Hunt said. “And you think about the greatness to be able to say, have somebody in 1979 say you’re their best professor, and somebody in 2025 say that you’re the best professor,” Hunt continued, “there’s not many professors in the history of Earth, that sustain that level of greatness, for that long.”
After such a lengthy career of devoted service to her students, and being a world-renowned scientific leader, Nalley has been decorated with honors many times, has international accolades, and even has awards in her name, which is a true testament to her accomplishments.
The American Chemical Society has the Nationally recognized E. Ann Nalley Northwest Region Award for Service, and its given at the regional meetings annually.
“I get invited a lot of the times to go and present it, and that’s special,” Nalley said.
She confessed that at her age and with so many commitments, Nalley sometimes questions why she still travels for events like these, only to be reminded of exactly why its important to her and the recipients.
“Two years ago, I went to Northeastern University in Boston, and this guy comes in and he said, “Ann, you came all the way out here to give me the award,” and I said, ‘I did,’ and I presented the award,” Nalley said. “And then when I gave it to him, he said at the end, ‘I’ve done all this work, all these years,’ because he worked for the forensic department in Boston, and he said, ‘but I’ve never gotten an award, this means so much to me and the fact that you came out here,’ and his wife told me that he was just recovering from cancer, and he cried,” Nalley said, holding back tears of her own. “And then he passed away the next year.”
“Those kinds of things, I think, mean more to me sometimes than any of the awards, and any of the things I’ve done,” Nalley admitted. “When I can change a life, or I can make somebody else’s life better.”
That sentiment is the exact culmination of the self-less service Nalley has demonstrated for more than five decades. She could have gone on to a bigger institution, taken a more esteemed position and even led ground-breaking research teams to new scientific breakthroughs. Yet she chose to continue to teach, year after year, seeing what a difference she can make in the thousands of students and youth she has imparted wisdom on.
“Those are the things that really make my life full, you know?” Nalley adds, “When I see a kid from Fredrick, Oklahoma, or my student who got to go to Bordeaux, France, and she had never flown before, she is from Gore, Oklahoma, went to Gore High School — and these kids — when I can open up the world for them, it makes it all meaningful.”