Λ η American
Contemporary
. .,
Warren K. Lewis AUBREY D . M C F A D Y E N
O,
"N Sept. 15, t h e AMERICAN
CHEMICAL
SOCIETY, at its 112th general meeting, held in N e w York City, formally pre sented t o Warren K. Lewis, professor of chemical engineering of t h e Massachu setts Institute of Technology, its Priestley Medal, American chemistry's highest honor, i n token of his distinguished serv ices t o chemistry. Including this medal, Lewis has now received three of t h e high est honors t o which chemists may aspire. Whether appraised on t h e basis of his fruitful research, reflected in no less than 78 books and papers prepared b y him, or o n his record i n the classroom, Lewis must be grouped in the thin front rank of top scientists of all time. H e has always been t h e pioneer—exploring new fields, bringing science t o the solution of prob lems, training a n d stimulating others t o develop the possibilities further, while he moves o n to new activities.
Lewis as a Teacher Lewis is predominantly a teacher. H e is recognized as t h e father of present-day chemical engineering. Probably his great est achievements have been the initiation and development of chemical engineering in i t s modern quantitative aspects and the training and inspiration of many of the present and potential leaders in the pro fession of chemical engineering. Among his products may be mentioned a s typical such luminaries a s Bradley Dewey and Per Frolich, both past presidents of the AMERICAN
CHEMICAL
SOCIETY,
E.
G.
Murphree of Standard Oil Development Co., J. K. Roberts and"Robert E . Wilson of Standard Oil of Indiana, C. H. Greenewait of the D u P o n t Co., R. P . Dinsmore of Goodyear, C. S. Venable of American Viscose, as well a s Waiter G. Whitman, William H. McAdams, and Edwin R. Gilliland, the latter three having so ably assisted Lewis in his work a t t h e insti tute. I n t h e classroom Lewis teaches fervently and dynamically t h e applications of pure science t o the solution of the problems of chemical industry, inculcating in his stu dents a determination and the conviction to overcome obstacles in converting theory to practice. H i s personality a n d mag netism have fired both students and asso ciates with his vision. F o r example,
2814
some time a g o a student came t o Lewis, convinced that h e should d o research o n soap for his thesis. Soap was t h e only subject the student was interested in. At that time Lewis himself was deeply engrossed in a study of clays. H e ex plained to the student that clay was prob ably t h e oldest form of detergent, and in a few moments the student was sold on the idea of studying clays, as a result of which his thesis presented worthwhile new aspects of t h e subject. Lewis' technique in the classroom is aggressive. T h e timid students on first contact m a y be startled by the bony finger Lewis brandishes, b u t t h e y quickly come t o appreciate and prize the stimulus of h i s active mind, vigorous personality, and method. Facts are e m phasized, a s the essential basis for sound conclusions, a n d Lewis disciplines his students in thinking things through. I n happy combination with William I I . Walker, t h e n e w profession of chemical engineering was founded a n d shaped a t M I T over a period of many years. I n 1923, with t h e effective collaboration of D r . McAdams, their fundamental de velopments were correlated and published as "Principles of Chemical Engineering. , , T h e importance of this book as a milestone of progress can hardly be overestimated. I t conveyed to t h e infant profession the results of pioneering investigation, it gave the first adequate concept of the scope of the profession, and it defined and applied the fundamental engineering principles. Lewis' originality and genius for discover ing a n d elucidating basic principles and for introducing quantitative treatment into a subject which had previously been purely qualitative shine throughout this work.
Other
Interests
T h e breadth of Lewis' interests and capacity has been a s broad as t h e rami fications of chemistry itself. However, his dominant industrial work has been i n t h e fields of petroleum, rubber, leather, cellulose, and amorphous materials in general. Of widespread importance in t h e petroleum field, for example, may b e mentioned his development of efficient methods of fractionation in refining; t h e solvent recovery system which bears his name; vacuum distillation of lubri
CHEMICAL
cating oils; and the initial development of the fluid catalyst cracking process. The latter concept alone today is repre sented b y more than S100 million in plant investment. Lewis has also made n o table contributions to chemistry and chem ical engineering in h i s more fundamental studies—the structure of liquids, mathe matical treatment of rectification, pyrolysis and oxidation of hydrocarbons, mul tiple-effect evaporation, t h e flow of heat and of fluids, gasification of coal, syn thesis of hydrocarbons, etc. Warren K. Lewis w a s born and spent the first twelve years of his life on a large farm near Laurel, DeL, where h e attended grade a n d grammar schools. During occasional absences o f Ms father, t h e lad was left in charge of the plantation. I n order for the boy to h a v e access to better schools, arrangements were made for Warren t o stay in N e w t o n , Mass. Here he partially supported himself b y "tend ing furnace," raking l e a v e s , and shoveling snow for t h e family w i t h whom he boarded. I n 1905 he was awarded the degree of bachelor of science by M I T , with appoint ment as a n assistant t o D r . Walker, then head of t h e division o f chemical engineer ing. As was t h e custom of that era, the young scientist soon -went abroad for ad vanced courses, receiving the doctorate degree in 1908 from the University of Breslau. Upon returning from Breslau Lewis rejoined t h e staff of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and save for one year with t h e W . II. McElwain Co., his connection with t h e institute has been continuous since 1905. He thus rer nounced t h e attractions of industry in favor of t h e classroom. During his 4 0 odd years with t h e institute he has served as assistant professor, associate professor, and presently a s professor. H i s love for teaching and a distaste for administra tive detail, coupled with a n unselfish pref erence in seeing h i s proteges advance explain w h y Lewis resigned many years ago as head of the department of chemical engineering.
War
Work
During World War II Lewis served a s executive officer of t h e department and handled t h e administrative work in con nection w i t h w a r research projects and war training courses in t h e department. H e was consultant with the National Defense Research Committee of t h e Office of Scientific Research and D e v e l o p ment on chemical warfare and other prob lems and served notably a s an adviser t o those in charge of t h e M a n h a t t a n D i s trict. H e was also a member of the Ad visory Committee o f the Office of Pro duction Research and Development. His membership in professional societies includes t h e American Academy of A r t s v and
Sciences,
the AMERICAN
CHEMICAL
SOCIETY, the American Institute of Chem ical Engineers, the American Leather (Continued
AND
an page
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ENGINEERING
NEWS
CONSULTANTS
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C H E M I C A L CONSULTANTS, E N G I N E E R I N G S E R V I C E S , T E S T I N G LABORATORIES, P A T E N T A T T O R N E Y S , E T C . RATES — s e e page 2866 (Display Space Only)
INFRARED RESEARCH
Industrial Research
Research, Engineering, Analyses SAMUEL· P . SADTLER & S O N S , I N C . .210 S o . 13th S t . , P h i l a d e l p h i a , P a .
MICRO ANALYSES
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Industrial News (Continued from page 2837) temperature, results in a film which as sumes an olive drab shade. This color, however, is unstable. The possible con version of the liquid into a black paint has been suggested. Written proposals, in triplicate, will be received by Central Salvage Section of Chemical Corps, 111 East 16th St., New York 3, Ν. Υ., up to the closing date, 3:00 P.M., Oct. 30, 1947. Bids must be enclosed in a sealed envelope, plainly marked as follows: Bid for Sale of Government Material Inv. No. CSS-LG-48-3 To be opened 3:00 P.M., Oct. 30, 1947
Business and Financial News A dividend of 50 cents a share was voted by the Barber Asphalt Corp., payable Oct. I. The company paid 25 cents each in July and April. The board of directors, it is announced, intends that the 50-cent rate will become the regular quarterly rate. Butte Copper and Zinc Co. reported a net loss in the quarter to June 30 of $4,427 compared with a net lo§s of $1,862 in the like 1946 quarter. Consolidated Coppermine Corp. records show a net profit of $336,136, equal t o 21 cents a share, which compares with 13 cents a share in the like 1946 period. Crown-Zellerbach Corp. and its sub sidiaries had a net income of $4,824,205 in the three months ended on July 31, the first quarter of the corporation's current fiscal year. This is equivalent to $1.73 each on 2,502,657 shares of common stock ing outstanding. This compares with 87 cents a share on common shares in the corresponding period of last year. Diamond sales by the Diamond Trading Co. and Industrial Distributors, Ltd., will be considerably less this year than last. Last year's sales showed an increase of 21% over sales made during 1945, but practically all of them were, made during the first nine months of the year. At a meeting of the board of directors of The Dow Chemical Co. Aug. 27, divi VOLUME
dends as f- ilows were declared payable Oct. 15 on cumulative preferred stock, series A, $1.00 per share; second preferred stock, $0.677 per share; and common stock, $0.25 per share. General Electric Co.'s third quarter shipments will be below the record $303,937,903 volume reached in the second 1947 quarter, President Wilson predicted. Industrial Rayon Corp. reported net earnings for the six months ended June 30 of $6,101,235, equal to $4.02 per share of common stock. This compares with $2.72 per share for the first half of 1946. Earn ings for the first half of 1947 included in come from the sale of patents equal to $0.72 per share. Second quarter earnings, exclusive of income from the sale of pat ents, amounted t o $1.70 per common share. This compares with $ 1.60 per com mon share for th© first quarter of 1947 and $1.29 for the second quarter of 1946. Kennecott popper Corp. reported for the six months ended June 30 a consolidated net profit of $46,086,826 after charges and taxes but before mine depletion. This is equal to $4.26 a share on the outstanding capital stock. A quarterly dividend of 37.5 cents on the common, payable on Oct. 15, was de clared by the Lion Oil Co. This is equiva lent to 75 cents a share on the old stock, which was split two for one. The board of directors of Sterling Drug, Inc., declared a regular quarterly dividend of 87.5 cents per share on the 3.5% pre ferred stock, payable Oct. 1. Stewart-Warner Corp. sales for the first six months of 1947 totaled $40,178,000, 71% above the same 1946 period. This is equal to $1.05 on common. Texas Co. stockholders were given the rights to subscribe to one new share of capital stock for each five shares Sept. 17. The subscription price and uses of the pro ceeds from the new issue, will be announced when the warrants are mailed. Thomas Steel Co. voted an extra of 30 cents and the regular quarterly dividend of 35 cents a common share, payable Sept. 20.
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RESEARCH CHEMISTS and E N G I N E E R S A staff o f 75, including chemists, engineers, bac teriologists end mediosl personnel w i ( h 3 0 stories o f laboratories and a pilot plant are available f o r t h e solution o f your chemical a n d engineering problems. Write today for Booklet N o . 4 "77ie C/iem/ca/ Consultant and Your Business"
Unexcelled Chemical Corp. reports for the six months ended June 30 consolidated net sales of $2,484,670 a:id net profit of $106,476. For the same period in 1946 consolidated net sales were $2,715,513. Universal Laboratories, Inc., and wholly owned subsidiaries showed a net operating loss of $147,354 for the six months ended June 3 0 . A quarterly dividend of 87.5 cents per share on the 80,000 shares of 3.59c cumulative preferred stock and 40 cents per share on common stock was declared by the board of directors of Victor Chem ical Works, Chicago, III. The preferred dividend is payable Sept. 30, and the com mon dividend is payable Sept. 27. Warren K . Lewis (Continued from page 2814) Chemists' Association, the Chemists' Club of New York, the Engineers1 Club of Boston, and the National Academy of Sciences. H e is an honorary member of the Institute of Chemical Engineers (Brit ish). This year Princeton University bestowed upon him the honorary doctor ate degree. He was recipient of the Perkin Medal in 1936. An intimate of Lewis states that while the doctor cherishes the honors which have been bestowed upon hixn, >>i« greatest pride comes from the achievements of men who have studied aad worked under him. "Doc"—as Lewis is known t o hie associates—is fond of hiking and habit ually takes a long brisk walk after lunch and after dinner. A favorite vacation pastime is mountain climbing, especially in the company of his grown-up children. Lewis was married in 1909 t o Rosalind Denny Kenway. They have four children and two grandchildren, and live on Lom bard St., Newton, Mass., not far from the scene of his boyhood chores. Doc and Mrs. Ijewis took two English children into their home for the duration of the war. He has served as a deacon in his church, and for many years has taught a Sunday school class of boys. As a token of affection, one of the classes pre sented their "Doc" a 20-inch slide rule. 2865
