Alice Ball did not get married. She was an accomplished chemist, best known for developing the ‘Ball Method,’ which was the first effective treatment for leprosy in the early 1900s. Despite her significant contributions to medicine, she faced many challenges as a woman of color in her field.
Throughout her life, Alice Ball focused on her education and career. She earned her degree in chemistry from the University of Washington and went on to become the first woman and the first African American to earn a degree in chemistry from the university. Due to social and cultural pressures of her time, as well as her dedication to her work, Alice did not prioritize marriage or relationships in the same way that some of her contemporaries did.
Her life was tragically cut short when she died at the young age of 24, but her legacy continues to impact the medical field today.