Benjamin Charles Gruenberg (1875–1965)

Benjamin Charles Gruenberg was born to a Jewish family in the town of Novo Sielitz, then part of Romania. When he was eight years old, his family emigrated to the USA and settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended public schools and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1896, after which he did graduate work in education at New York University and in science at the New York Botanical Garden before earning MA and PhD degrees from Columbia University in 1911. In 1903, he married Sidonie Matsner, with whom he had four children; as Sidonie Matsner Gruenberg, she became a world-famous expert on parenting. Dr. Gruenberg began his career as a biology teacher in New York City schools, and went on to become a renowned leader in the field of science education. For many years, he was a researcher or consultant to numerous governmental agencies and educational organizations in public health and medical economics. He was largely responsible for the introduction of courses in science into American public schools and wrote the first biology textbook for high schools, Elementary Biology: An Introduction to the Science of Life, published in 1919. It was followed by about 20 other textbooks and popular books on science and sex education, and dozens of articles published in professional journals. With his wife, he co-authored The Wonderful Story of You (1960). Dr. Gruenberg also taught at various colleges and universities and lectured on science education.