Crouch, Hubert Branch
(born: 1906 - died: 1980)In 1943, ten men of science from historically black colleges established what would become the Association of Science Teachers in Negro Colleges and Affiliated Institutions (ASTNCAI).
One of its members was Hubert Branch Crouch, a zoologist who taught at Kentucky State College [now Kentucky State University] beginning in 1931. He received his Ph.D. in Parasitology from the University of Iowa in 1936. He also taught at Tennessee State University from until retiring in 1972, serving as a professor, Head of the Department of Biology, Director of the Division of Science, and the first full dean of the graduate school.
In 1931, while attending the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Crouch got the idea to form a national organization of African American scientists. He also formed the Council of Science Teachers within the Kentucky Negro Educational Association (KNEA). The Graduate School Building at Tennessee State University was renamed the Hubert B. Crouch Building at Tennessee State University in 1980 in his honor.
Crouch was born in Cherokee County, TX and died in Nashville, TN. He was the son of Carrie Ragsdale and George Crouch.
For more see William M. King, "Hubert Branch Crouch and the origins of the National Institute of Science," The Journal of Negro History, vol. 79, issue 1 (1994), pp. 18-33; and Shelbert Smith, "A History: The National Institute of Science (1943-1993)," Transactions: National Institute of Science, vol. 50 (Spring 2014), pp. 16-31.