Obit: Dorothy Powell, dedicated scientist

Dorothy Powell was dedicated to her work as a microbiologist, but still knew how to keep herself balanced. Work hard, stay informed, nurture others and have fun in the process, she believed, and she took all of those things seriously.

Born in 1923 in East Atlanta, she graduated from the University of Georgia in 1943 with a degree in zoology. According to her niece, Janet Everitt Ballard, of Atlanta, Mrs. Powell loved the pursuit of learning but also took time to help others.

"The year she took the MCAT, she scored the highest, but her mother had suffered a stroke and rather than go to med school, she chose to take care of her," Mrs. Ballard said.

Dorothy Everitt DeFoor Powell, of East Atlanta, known as "Dot" to family and friends, died July 14 at Arbor Terrace Assisted Living in Decatur from complications of pneumonia. She was 88. A funeral will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at A.S. Turner Funeral Home in Decatur.

Mrs. Powell's love of the sciences led to varied vocations: an assistant to the dean of the UGA graduate school; clinical work at Lawson General Hospital during World War II; a medical assistant to Dr. Hines Roberts, a pediatrician and co-founder of Egleston Children's Hospital; and a food safety compliance manager at the H.J. Heinz Co.

In the 1960s and '70s, she worked as an assistant research scientist and principal manager of Dr. Nancy Williams Walls' lab in the Georgia Tech Biology Department, where Mrs. Powell did important food safety research with botulism.

Mrs. Powell was considered a mentor by many of her former students. Dr. George Russell Bell, of Clancy, Mont., worked with Mrs. Powell when he was an undergraduate microbiology student.

"Botulism is very dangerous to grow in a lab and work with. She was very strict about lab safety rules," Dr. Bell said. However, Mrs. Powell still managed to infuse humor into the workplace.

"She had a bull whip mounted on the wall behind her desk and would point to it and say 'Don't ever make me use this on you for not following the rules,'" Dr. Bell said.

"She would always treat you like her best friend and was always interested in what other people were doing," Mrs. Ballard said. "She was a very smart, funny, likable person and would know your blood type by the end of the conversation."

Marian McCullers, a long-time friend and travel partner, called Mrs Powell a real people person. The two traveled together often. It was Mrs. McCullers and her husband who introduced Mrs. Powell to her first husband, Spencer DeFoor, who worked for Ford Motor Company in Hapeville. They were married in 1954. Mr. DeFoor died in 1983.

Just before her retirement, Mrs. Powell married Dr. Fincher "Bill" Powell in 1993. Dr. Powell was a retired internist who helped found DeKalb General Hospital, now known as DeKalb Medical Center. Dr. Powell died in 1998.