John Michael Mallette (August 6, 1932 - August 21, 1995)[1] was an American biologist, academic administrator and civic leader. He was a professor of biology at Tennessee State University and an administrator at the University of Tennessee at Nashville. He researched cholesterol, oral contraceptives and cyclamates. He is the namesake of John Mallette Drive in Nashville, Tennessee.
John Mallette | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 6, 1932 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | August 21, 1995 (aged 63) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Resting place | Greenwood Cemetery |
| Education | Xavier University of Louisiana Texas Southern University Pennsylvania State University |
| Occupation | Biologist |
| Employer | Tennessee State University |
| Spouse | Pazetta Berryman |
| Children | 1 son, 2 daughters |
Early life
editMallette was born on August 6, 1932, in Houston, Texas and attended St. Nicholas Elementary and High School there.[2] He graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana in 1954,[3] where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry. He served in the United States Army from 1954 to 1956 where he was medic and stationed in Germany.[3] He subsequently earned a master's degree from Texas Southern University in 1958 and a PhD from Pennsylvania State University in 1962, both in Biology.[2]
Academic career
editMallette was a Biology professor at Tennessee State University from 1962 to 1974.[2][4] He also taught part-time at the University of Tennessee at Nashville (UTN) from 1964 to 1974.[2] In 1975, he resigned from TSU to serve as the vice chancellor of academic affairs at UTN for five years.[2] He subsequently resumed his faculty position at TSU, where he taught for over three decades over the course of his career.[5]
Research contributions
editMallette did research on the effects of cholesterol on mice.[6] In particular, he studied the relationship between stress factors and their cholesterol rates.[3] Mallette also studied the side effects of oral contraceptives.[3] According to The Tennessean, he also did "pioneering research into the harmful effects of cyclamates on animals which were later applied to humans."[3]
Mallette was the president of the Tennessee Academy of Science in 1975.[3]
Civic activities
editMallette was a member of the NAACP, and he served on the boards of the United Negro College Fund, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.[5] He was honored as a Knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great and a Knight of Peter Claver.[2]
Personal life, death and legacy
editMallette married Pazette Berryman; they had a son and two daughters.[2]
Mallette died on August 21, 1995, in Nashville.[2] His funeral was held at the Church of the Assumption, and he was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery.[2] In 2001, North Hydes Ferry in Bordeaux, a neighborhood of Nashville, was renamed John Mallette Drive in his honor thanks to councilmember Melvin Black.[5]
References
edit- ^ "John M Mallette Sr". Fold3. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Lewis, Dwight (August 23, 1995). "Rites set for educator John Mallette Sr". The Tennessean. p. 19. Retrieved December 31, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f Carmichael, Alan (May 26, 1975). "Mallette To Get UTN Post Today?". The Tennessean. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved January 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Dr. Mallette Named UTN Vice Chancellor". The Tennessean. May 27, 1975. p. 10. Retrieved January 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Wadhwani, Anita (April 18, 2001). "Council asked to rename one of Hydes Ferry streets". The Tennessean. pp. 1B–2B. Retrieved December 31, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mallette Presents Paper". The Tennessean. January 9, 1966. p. 11. Retrieved January 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.