JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
1955 MIDWEST AWARD TO CLIFF S. HAMILTON
THEeditors of THIS JOURNAL are pleased to bring to readers' attention the recognition which has come to a chemical educator by the action of the St. Louis Section of the American Chemical Society. Dr. Cliff S. Hamilton, of the University of Nebraska, is the recipient of the Eleventh Midwest Award and Medal. We quote from the citation read a t the presentation in November: tkginning with hi^ ~ r a ~ i . ~wort, n t e ire has been a regular contribrtor to the rhemiitry of orgaoie rumpounds of arsrnic and h i lal,orntory is now rrtrcrnlly recognized ns the for~mostin the world in that field. He and his students have published papers of r e d eignifieance in the field of structural oraanic chemistrv. that of .. ~articularlv medicinal compounds. As a director of research, he has been highly successful in d e "eloping research ability in his students as well as in guiding each of them to a solution of his particular problem. I n the class rwm, he is an inspiring teacher, and possesses the happy faculty of insisting upon the highest standards of performance while displaying kindness and consideration in helping his students to meet them. As Chairman of the Department of Chemistry far sixteen yearn, he has displayed intelligent sure-handed leadership. He is admired and respected by his staff, and his effectiveness in dealing with the University administration is evidenced by the ontstrtnding position of his department with respect to others in the University. His devotion to the science of chemiatry was demonstrated by his return to the Department of Chemistry after two successful years as Dean of the Graduate School. His understanding of the personal problems of his students and his kindly advice have endeared him to all those who have had the good fortune to he in a position to seek his help when coufronted with di5culties. Many members of the technical staffs of chemical industry and of university and college laboratories from coast to coast are his former students and are anxious to acknowledge his part in their successes.
Cliff Struthers Hamilton is-in the finest meaning of both words-a scholar and a gentleman.
Dr. Hamilton's address dealt, most appropriately, with problems and aims of graduate education in chemistry under the title, "Dividends from industry's investment in colleges." Two challenging quotations from this speech are: We are anxious to send industry the type of graduate that %-ill most nearly fit its needs. In generd, we believe that industry wants an all-around person-one with a creative mind and good ideas, one who has the ability to convey those ideas to others, orally, or in writing. It is not difficultto find numerous examples of men who have received greater recognition in industry than other men with equally good minds simply because the former were able to present their ideas in a more forceful way. We believe the chemical industry wants a person with an excellent foundation, not only in chemistry, but also in related sciences and mathematics. A well-rounded chemist should have poise, adaptability, self-confidence, honesty, and the ability to meet people readily. He should be a potential leader. If the candidate has been carefully selected, and if he can weather the storm as discussed, he, in our opinion, will be able to go either into industry or into the teaching profession, whichever he prefers. And let me say right here, we hope mare of them will go into teaching, for unless we can attract more of the allaround good men the product turned out for industry in the years to come will be inferior. I n other words, industry cannot have its cake and eat it too. It must help to make the teaching profession so attractive that a sufficient number of graduates with the Ph.D. degree will enter the teaching field. If industry robs us, it will in the end rob itself.
Dr. Hamilton is the seventh educator to be so honored as "a scientist of the midwest to make meritorious contributions to the advancement of chemical research or pure or applied chemistry." The others are: Drs. Gerty T. and Carl F. Cori, Professor Paul L. Day, Professor William S. Halderman, Dr. Henry Gilman, Professor Roger Adams, and Professor Ralph Hixon.
