| Katherine B. Hoffman | |
| Other Names: | Kitty B. Hoffman |
| Birth Date: | 1 August 1914 |
| Birth Place: | Winter Haven, Florida |
| Death Place: | Tallahassee, Florida |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Chemist and academic administrator |
Katherine "Kitty" Marie Blood Hoffman (August 1, 1914 – July 18, 2020) was an American chemist and academic administrator.
Hoffman was born on August 1, 1914, in Winter Haven, Florida.[1] She attended the Florida State College for Women (which later became Florida State University) for her undergraduate. She began her degree in 1932,[1] and finished with a degree in bacteriology in 1936.[2] She went on to Columbia University for a master's degree in chemistry, which she completed in 1938.[1]
Hoffman returned to Florida State College for Women in 1940, where she remained through its name-change to Florida State University and for the rest of her career.[1] [2] She began as a chemistry instructor, and was promoted, reaching full professor in 1959. She served as dean of women from 1967 to 1970,[2] in which role she eased restrictions placed upon female students. She retired from the university in 1984, but remained active in university service during retirement.[1] [2]
Upon the occasion of her retirement, the chemistry department of Florida State University named a laboratory building in her honor; it was rededicated to her in 2018.[2] Hoffman was awarded an honorary doctorate by Florida State University in 2007.[3] [4]
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida, Hoffman died from COVID-19 in Tallahassee on July 18, 2020, at the age of 105, fourteen days short from her 106th birthday.[1]