Agnes Claypole Moody

Agnes Mary Claypole Moody was born in Bristol, England to Jane (Trotter) and Edward Waller Claypole. She had a twin sister, Edith Jane Claypole (1870–1915), who was also a biologist.^[1] Shortly after their birth, their mother and older brother died.^[2] She attended Buchtel College, and in 1894 she attended Cornell University for her master's degree. She completed doctoral work at the University of Chicago in 1896.^[3]

For her Master of Science thesis, Moody studied the digestive tract of eels.^[4] Her 1896 doctoral dissertation at the University of Chicago was titled "The Embryology and Oögenesis of Anurida maritima."^[5] Following completion of her doctorate, Moody served as an assistant at Cornell University despite her PhD, as women were relegated to the lowest ranks of faculty at the time.^[6]

Moody was the first woman appointed to a teaching position in the Medical Department of Cornell University.^[7]

She worked in various positions at Throop College, (now California Institute of Technology), including as instructor in Zoology, and as professor of natural science and curator (1903–1904).^[4] After moving to the northern California area, she was included in the first seven editions of American Men of Science. In these editions, a star was listed along with her name to show she was considered to be one of the top 1,000 scientists that resided in the United States.^[8] Moody was a longtime member of the city council in Berkeley, California, from 1923 to 1932.^[9] She was also elected to Berkeley's school board,^[10] served as chair of the Berkeley Girl Scout Council,^[11] and was a member of Berkeley's League of Women Voters.^[12] She served a term as president of the Berkeley Civic League, and was appointed to the Berkeley Charities Commission.^[13] Of her community work, a local historian in 1928 commented that "No woman of Alameda County has made a deeper impression on the educational and civil life of the community than Mrs. Agnes Claypole Moody."^[14] Additionally, she was listed in 'American Men of Science' as one of America's top 1,000 scientists.^[15]

There was a Girl Scout camp near Berkeley named Camp Agnes Moody, after Dr. Moody, in the 1930s.^[16]

Agnes Mary Claypole married Robert Orton Moody (an anatomy professor who was the son of Mary Blair Moody^[14]) in 1903 in Pasadena.^[17] She was widowed when he died in 1948.^[18] She was also twin sister of Edith Jane Claypole (1870–1915, physiologist and pathologist).^[19] Agnes Claypole Moody died on August 29, 1954, in Alameda, California.^[20]