Blum, Arlene (1945–)

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Blum, Arlene (1945–)

American mountaineer, author, and chemist. Born 1945; raised in Chicago, Illinois; dau. of a physician and a violinist; graduate of Reed College and University of California, Berkeley; children: 1 daughter.

Organized and led the 1st all-women's expedition to the summit of Mount Denali, Alaska (1970); organized and led the 1st all-female expedition to the summit of Annapurna I in the Himalayas (1978); hiked entire length of the Great Himalaya Range; did scientific research that led to the ban of a carcinogenic chemical from use in American clothing; taught at Stanford University, Wellesley College, and University of California, Berkeley. Awarded Gold Medal from Society of Women Geographers.

See also memoir, Annapurna: A Woman's Place (Sierra Club, 1980); and Women in World History.