Katherine “Kitty” Hoffman had a nearly 88-year relationship with Florida State University – first as a student-athlete-scholar at the Florida State College for Women in the mid-1930s, followed by a nearly 40-year career as a chemistry professor, and later as a philanthropist.
She died Saturday at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. Hoffman was 105 and would have celebrated her 106th birthday on Aug. 1, said her son, Norris Wheeler Hoffman of Mobile, Alabama.
He confirmed his mother died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Norris Hoffman said his mother first was hospitalized at TMH on July 4, when testing positive after contracting the disease at Westminster Oaks, where she lived. She was treated at TMH and then transferred to PruittHealth-Southwood, one of 16 isolation centers around the state that were set up to serve patients in need of long-term care services who have contracted COVID-19
She enjoyed most everything she did at FSU, She was a chemistry major at FSCW, but she also had an appreciation for the liberal arts. She definitely maintained her enthusiasm for FSU. She was a grassroots recruiter and always talked up the quality of the institution and how it was growing in stature.
Then named Katherine “Kitty” Blood, her relationship with FSU began in the mid-1930s, when the Winter Haven native entered the Florida State College for Women.
According to FSU media reports, Hoffman’s tuition as a student at FSCW was paid with truckloads of oranges from her father’s Polk County groves.
She also earned free meals serving fellow students as a "Dining Room Girl" and also found time and energy to serve as president of the Student Government Association, captain of the baseball and volleyball teams, write for The Flambeau, and earn membership in Phi Beta Kappa and numerous other campus and honorary organizations.
Hoffman received her undergraduate degree in bacteriology from FSU in 1936, earned a master’s degree from Columbia University, and was accepted to the medical school at Duke University. At that time, however, Duke required female medical students to remain single.
But Hoffman didn’t buy into that.
She married Harold “Hank” Hoffman in 1938 and started a teaching career. The family moved to Tallahassee in 1940, where she began instructing at Florida State.
Her husband died in November 1996 at 82. They had been married 58 years at the time of his death. He had worked as an associate state chemist before being appointed assistant commissioner for the Florida Department of Agriculture.
During her nearly 40-year tenure at FSU as a member of the chemistry department faculty, Hoffman authored several textbooks and many articles, and was widely recognized for her scholarship and commitment to the advancement of her field.
“Kitty Hoffman was truly a treasure,” FSU President John Thrasher said Monday. “She loved Florida State University and dedicated her life to supporting FSU students. As a pioneering scholar, faculty member and dean, she was an excellent role model for generations of women in the sciences.
After her retirement, she continued to actively serve the university through her generous gifts and service on university boards. Jean and I enjoyed seeing her at events on campus and at Westminster Oaks, and we were honored to celebrate the past couple of birthdays with her. We will all miss her dearly.”
From 1967 to 1970, she also served as FSU’s Dean of Women, and then as president of the Faculty Senate from 1980 to 1982, according to FSU.
After Hoffman’s retirement from teaching in 1984, the chemistry department dedicated the Katherine B. Hoffman Teaching Laboratory in her honor. Hoffman and her husband established the $100,000 Katherine Blood Hoffman Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry.
In retirement, Hoffman served as a board member for the FSU Alumni Association and trustee for the FSU Foundation; chairwoman of the Emeritus Alumni Society; and co-chairwoman of FSU’s Sesquicentennial Celebration.
Hoffman created the Katherine Blood Hoffman Endowed Lectureship in Environmental Chemistry Fund, the Hank and Prescott Hoffman Fund for Biological Research Conducted Toward Preserving the Wakulla River, the Katherine Blood Hoffman Symposia in the Liberal Arts Fund, the Katherine Blood Hoffman Scholarship Fund in Chemistry, and an Alumni Center Fund.
One of her proudest moments came in September 2007 when the university bestowed upon her an honorary Doctorate of Science.
“Kitty was sharp-witted, strong, and fiercely intelligent,” said Sam Huckaba, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “As a graduate of FSCW, retired faculty member, and longtime Tallahassee resident, her life was entwined with FSU.”
In November 2018, the College of Arts and Sciences honored Hoffman during a re-dedication of the Katherine B. Hoffman Teaching Laboratory.
The 72,000-plus square-foot building, which currently is being reconfigured, provides lab and classroom spaces for chemistry, biochemistry, and other arts and sciences departments.
Dr. Hoffman was an amazing trailblazer who also was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” FSU Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Sally McRorie said in an email. “As FSU completes renovations and expansions to the Hoffman Teaching Labs, we commemorate in brick and mortar her pioneering lifetime of achievements.”
A memorial service will be held at a future date.∼Katherine Blood Hoffman
AUGUST 1, 1914 – JULY 20, 2020
NO PUBLIC SERVICES ARE SCHEDULED AT THIS TIME.
Published on Neptune Society of Tallahassee, FL web site.
She died Saturday at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. Hoffman was 105 and would have celebrated her 106th birthday on Aug. 1, said her son, Norris Wheeler Hoffman of Mobile, Alabama.
He confirmed his mother died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Norris Hoffman said his mother first was hospitalized at TMH on July 4, when testing positive after contracting the disease at Westminster Oaks, where she lived. She was treated at TMH and then transferred to PruittHealth-Southwood, one of 16 isolation centers around the state that were set up to serve patients in need of long-term care services who have contracted COVID-19
She enjoyed most everything she did at FSU, She was a chemistry major at FSCW, but she also had an appreciation for the liberal arts. She definitely maintained her enthusiasm for FSU. She was a grassroots recruiter and always talked up the quality of the institution and how it was growing in stature.
Then named Katherine “Kitty” Blood, her relationship with FSU began in the mid-1930s, when the Winter Haven native entered the Florida State College for Women.
According to FSU media reports, Hoffman’s tuition as a student at FSCW was paid with truckloads of oranges from her father’s Polk County groves.
She also earned free meals serving fellow students as a "Dining Room Girl" and also found time and energy to serve as president of the Student Government Association, captain of the baseball and volleyball teams, write for The Flambeau, and earn membership in Phi Beta Kappa and numerous other campus and honorary organizations.
Hoffman received her undergraduate degree in bacteriology from FSU in 1936, earned a master’s degree from Columbia University, and was accepted to the medical school at Duke University. At that time, however, Duke required female medical students to remain single.
But Hoffman didn’t buy into that.
She married Harold “Hank” Hoffman in 1938 and started a teaching career. The family moved to Tallahassee in 1940, where she began instructing at Florida State.
Her husband died in November 1996 at 82. They had been married 58 years at the time of his death. He had worked as an associate state chemist before being appointed assistant commissioner for the Florida Department of Agriculture.
During her nearly 40-year tenure at FSU as a member of the chemistry department faculty, Hoffman authored several textbooks and many articles, and was widely recognized for her scholarship and commitment to the advancement of her field.
“Kitty Hoffman was truly a treasure,” FSU President John Thrasher said Monday. “She loved Florida State University and dedicated her life to supporting FSU students. As a pioneering scholar, faculty member and dean, she was an excellent role model for generations of women in the sciences.
After her retirement, she continued to actively serve the university through her generous gifts and service on university boards. Jean and I enjoyed seeing her at events on campus and at Westminster Oaks, and we were honored to celebrate the past couple of birthdays with her. We will all miss her dearly.”
From 1967 to 1970, she also served as FSU’s Dean of Women, and then as president of the Faculty Senate from 1980 to 1982, according to FSU.
After Hoffman’s retirement from teaching in 1984, the chemistry department dedicated the Katherine B. Hoffman Teaching Laboratory in her honor. Hoffman and her husband established the $100,000 Katherine Blood Hoffman Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry.
In retirement, Hoffman served as a board member for the FSU Alumni Association and trustee for the FSU Foundation; chairwoman of the Emeritus Alumni Society; and co-chairwoman of FSU’s Sesquicentennial Celebration.
Hoffman created the Katherine Blood Hoffman Endowed Lectureship in Environmental Chemistry Fund, the Hank and Prescott Hoffman Fund for Biological Research Conducted Toward Preserving the Wakulla River, the Katherine Blood Hoffman Symposia in the Liberal Arts Fund, the Katherine Blood Hoffman Scholarship Fund in Chemistry, and an Alumni Center Fund.
One of her proudest moments came in September 2007 when the university bestowed upon her an honorary Doctorate of Science.
“Kitty was sharp-witted, strong, and fiercely intelligent,” said Sam Huckaba, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “As a graduate of FSCW, retired faculty member, and longtime Tallahassee resident, her life was entwined with FSU.”
In November 2018, the College of Arts and Sciences honored Hoffman during a re-dedication of the Katherine B. Hoffman Teaching Laboratory.
The 72,000-plus square-foot building, which currently is being reconfigured, provides lab and classroom spaces for chemistry, biochemistry, and other arts and sciences departments.
Dr. Hoffman was an amazing trailblazer who also was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” FSU Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Sally McRorie said in an email. “As FSU completes renovations and expansions to the Hoffman Teaching Labs, we commemorate in brick and mortar her pioneering lifetime of achievements.”
A memorial service will be held at a future date.∼Katherine Blood Hoffman
AUGUST 1, 1914 – JULY 20, 2020
NO PUBLIC SERVICES ARE SCHEDULED AT THIS TIME.
Published on Neptune Society of Tallahassee, FL web site.
Katherine “Kitty” Hoffman had a nearly 88-year relationship with Florida State University – first as a student-athlete-scholar at the Florida State College for Women in the mid-1930s, followed by a nearly 40-year career as a chemistry professor, and later as a philanthropist.
She died Saturday at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. Hoffman was 105 and would have celebrated her 106th birthday on Aug. 1, said her son, Norris Wheeler Hoffman of Mobile, Alabama.
He confirmed his mother died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Norris Hoffman said his mother first was hospitalized at TMH on July 4, when testing positive after contracting the disease at Westminster Oaks, where she lived. She was treated at TMH and then transferred to PruittHealth-Southwood, one of 16 isolation centers around the state that were set up to serve patients in need of long-term care services who have contracted COVID-19
She enjoyed most everything she did at FSU, She was a chemistry major at FSCW, but she also had an appreciation for the liberal arts. She definitely maintained her enthusiasm for FSU. She was a grassroots recruiter and always talked up the quality of the institution and how it was growing in stature.
Then named Katherine “Kitty” Blood, her relationship with FSU began in the mid-1930s, when the Winter Haven native entered the Florida State College for Women.
According to FSU media reports, Hoffman’s tuition as a student at FSCW was paid with truckloads of oranges from her father’s Polk County groves.
She also earned free meals serving fellow students as a "Dining Room Girl" and also found time and energy to serve as president of the Student Government Association, captain of the baseball and volleyball teams, write for The Flambeau, and earn membership in Phi Beta Kappa and numerous other campus and honorary organizations.
Hoffman received her undergraduate degree in bacteriology from FSU in 1936, earned a master’s degree from Columbia University, and was accepted to the medical school at Duke University. At that time, however, Duke required female medical students to remain single.
But Hoffman didn’t buy into that.
She married Harold “Hank” Hoffman in 1938 and started a teaching career. The family moved to Tallahassee in 1940, where she began instructing at Florida State.
Her husband died in November 1996 at 82. They had been married 58 years at the time of his death. He had worked as an associate state chemist before being appointed assistant commissioner for the Florida Department of Agriculture.
During her nearly 40-year tenure at FSU as a member of the chemistry department faculty, Hoffman authored several textbooks and many articles, and was widely recognized for her scholarship and commitment to the advancement of her field.
“Kitty Hoffman was truly a treasure,” FSU President John Thrasher said Monday. “She loved Florida State University and dedicated her life to supporting FSU students. As a pioneering scholar, faculty member and dean, she was an excellent role model for generations of women in the sciences.
After her retirement, she continued to actively serve the university through her generous gifts and service on university boards. Jean and I enjoyed seeing her at events on campus and at Westminster Oaks, and we were honored to celebrate the past couple of birthdays with her. We will all miss her dearly.”
From 1967 to 1970, she also served as FSU’s Dean of Women, and then as president of the Faculty Senate from 1980 to 1982, according to FSU.
After Hoffman’s retirement from teaching in 1984, the chemistry department dedicated the Katherine B. Hoffman Teaching Laboratory in her honor. Hoffman and her husband established the $100,000 Katherine Blood Hoffman Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry.
In retirement, Hoffman served as a board member for the FSU Alumni Association and trustee for the FSU Foundation; chairwoman of the Emeritus Alumni Society; and co-chairwoman of FSU’s Sesquicentennial Celebration.
Hoffman created the Katherine Blood Hoffman Endowed Lectureship in Environmental Chemistry Fund, the Hank and Prescott Hoffman Fund for Biological Research Conducted Toward Preserving the Wakulla River, the Katherine Blood Hoffman Symposia in the Liberal Arts Fund, the Katherine Blood Hoffman Scholarship Fund in Chemistry, and an Alumni Center Fund.
One of her proudest moments came in September 2007 when the university bestowed upon her an honorary Doctorate of Science.
“Kitty was sharp-witted, strong, and fiercely intelligent,” said Sam Huckaba, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “As a graduate of FSCW, retired faculty member, and longtime Tallahassee resident, her life was entwined with FSU.”
In November 2018, the College of Arts and Sciences honored Hoffman during a re-dedication of the Katherine B. Hoffman Teaching Laboratory.
The 72,000-plus square-foot building, which currently is being reconfigured, provides lab and classroom spaces for chemistry, biochemistry, and other arts and sciences departments.
Dr. Hoffman was an amazing trailblazer who also was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” FSU Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Sally McRorie said in an email. “As FSU completes renovations and expansions to the Hoffman Teaching Labs, we commemorate in brick and mortar her pioneering lifetime of achievements.”
A memorial service will be held at a future date.∼Katherine Blood Hoffman
AUGUST 1, 1914 – JULY 20, 2020
NO PUBLIC SERVICES ARE SCHEDULED AT THIS TIME.
Published on Neptune Society of Tallahassee, FL web site.
She died Saturday at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. Hoffman was 105 and would have celebrated her 106th birthday on Aug. 1, said her son, Norris Wheeler Hoffman of Mobile, Alabama.
He confirmed his mother died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Norris Hoffman said his mother first was hospitalized at TMH on July 4, when testing positive after contracting the disease at Westminster Oaks, where she lived. She was treated at TMH and then transferred to PruittHealth-Southwood, one of 16 isolation centers around the state that were set up to serve patients in need of long-term care services who have contracted COVID-19
She enjoyed most everything she did at FSU, She was a chemistry major at FSCW, but she also had an appreciation for the liberal arts. She definitely maintained her enthusiasm for FSU. She was a grassroots recruiter and always talked up the quality of the institution and how it was growing in stature.
Then named Katherine “Kitty” Blood, her relationship with FSU began in the mid-1930s, when the Winter Haven native entered the Florida State College for Women.
According to FSU media reports, Hoffman’s tuition as a student at FSCW was paid with truckloads of oranges from her father’s Polk County groves.
She also earned free meals serving fellow students as a "Dining Room Girl" and also found time and energy to serve as president of the Student Government Association, captain of the baseball and volleyball teams, write for The Flambeau, and earn membership in Phi Beta Kappa and numerous other campus and honorary organizations.
Hoffman received her undergraduate degree in bacteriology from FSU in 1936, earned a master’s degree from Columbia University, and was accepted to the medical school at Duke University. At that time, however, Duke required female medical students to remain single.
But Hoffman didn’t buy into that.
She married Harold “Hank” Hoffman in 1938 and started a teaching career. The family moved to Tallahassee in 1940, where she began instructing at Florida State.
Her husband died in November 1996 at 82. They had been married 58 years at the time of his death. He had worked as an associate state chemist before being appointed assistant commissioner for the Florida Department of Agriculture.
During her nearly 40-year tenure at FSU as a member of the chemistry department faculty, Hoffman authored several textbooks and many articles, and was widely recognized for her scholarship and commitment to the advancement of her field.
“Kitty Hoffman was truly a treasure,” FSU President John Thrasher said Monday. “She loved Florida State University and dedicated her life to supporting FSU students. As a pioneering scholar, faculty member and dean, she was an excellent role model for generations of women in the sciences.
After her retirement, she continued to actively serve the university through her generous gifts and service on university boards. Jean and I enjoyed seeing her at events on campus and at Westminster Oaks, and we were honored to celebrate the past couple of birthdays with her. We will all miss her dearly.”
From 1967 to 1970, she also served as FSU’s Dean of Women, and then as president of the Faculty Senate from 1980 to 1982, according to FSU.
After Hoffman’s retirement from teaching in 1984, the chemistry department dedicated the Katherine B. Hoffman Teaching Laboratory in her honor. Hoffman and her husband established the $100,000 Katherine Blood Hoffman Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry.
In retirement, Hoffman served as a board member for the FSU Alumni Association and trustee for the FSU Foundation; chairwoman of the Emeritus Alumni Society; and co-chairwoman of FSU’s Sesquicentennial Celebration.
Hoffman created the Katherine Blood Hoffman Endowed Lectureship in Environmental Chemistry Fund, the Hank and Prescott Hoffman Fund for Biological Research Conducted Toward Preserving the Wakulla River, the Katherine Blood Hoffman Symposia in the Liberal Arts Fund, the Katherine Blood Hoffman Scholarship Fund in Chemistry, and an Alumni Center Fund.
One of her proudest moments came in September 2007 when the university bestowed upon her an honorary Doctorate of Science.
“Kitty was sharp-witted, strong, and fiercely intelligent,” said Sam Huckaba, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “As a graduate of FSCW, retired faculty member, and longtime Tallahassee resident, her life was entwined with FSU.”
In November 2018, the College of Arts and Sciences honored Hoffman during a re-dedication of the Katherine B. Hoffman Teaching Laboratory.
The 72,000-plus square-foot building, which currently is being reconfigured, provides lab and classroom spaces for chemistry, biochemistry, and other arts and sciences departments.
Dr. Hoffman was an amazing trailblazer who also was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” FSU Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Sally McRorie said in an email. “As FSU completes renovations and expansions to the Hoffman Teaching Labs, we commemorate in brick and mortar her pioneering lifetime of achievements.”
A memorial service will be held at a future date.∼Katherine Blood Hoffman
AUGUST 1, 1914 – JULY 20, 2020
NO PUBLIC SERVICES ARE SCHEDULED AT THIS TIME.
Published on Neptune Society of Tallahassee, FL web site.
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