Family background, childhood and education in San Francisco; training as bioanalyst at the University of California, Berkeley; marriage to navy dentist Charles Hemphill; World War II, Hawaii, 1941-1943; executive director, Irwin Memorial Blood Bank, 1943-1982: personnel policies, evolution of techniques, recruitment of owners and volunteers; establishing California and National Blood Bank Clearinghouse systems; American Association of Blood Banks; Blood Research Foundation; American Women for International Understanding.