—CHEMICAL ENGINEERING NEWS_
WALTER J . M U R P H Y , Ed/for
A r t h u r Becket Lamb V-iHKMisTRY has lost one of its most eminent leaders in the passing of Arthur Becket L a m b . He was a person of exceptional versatility. Indicative of the mental stature of Dr. Lamb is the fact that he was nationally and internationally recognized as a researcher, as a teacher, and as an editor. H e was a noted authority in each of these three fields. Quite naturally m u c h of Dr. Lamb's fame is based on his services as editor of The Journal of the American Chemical Society—a post he h e l d with great distinction for a period of 32 years. The Journal had already achieved preeminence among scientific publications when Dr. Lamb became editor, but under his guidance the publication made phenomenal strides in size, circulation, and influence, keeping pace with the rapid growth of the chemical industry and the chemical profession in this country and abroad. Indeed, The Journal has been one of the most stimulating factors in the rapid expansion of the chemical industry in this country since World War 1. Most of the important fundamental research in all branches of chemistry has been reported in its p a g e s . This fundamental chemical knowledge is the foundation u p o n which modern chemical industry has been built. T h e thousands upon thousands of products which have transformed the standard of living for millions are monuments to The Journal that Dr. Lamb directed so successfully for more than three decades. Arthur L a m b long will be remembered, not alone for his thirty-odd years of success as editor of the world's foremost journal of pure chemistry, but also for his numerous and varied scientific accomplishments, including the training of many of the country's outstanding chemists. He possessed a brilliant mind. His retentive faculties were remarkable, f i e entered Tufts College at the age of 16. There he specialized first in biology, then in chemistry, and finally in zoology. H e received both his A.B. and M.A. in the same year—a noteworthy achievement and an early demonstration of a n extraordinary ability that would lead ultimately to one of the most successful careers in the history of chemistry. Four years after completing his studies for his bachelor and master degrees, he received a P h . D . in organic chemistry from Tufts, a n d a doctorate in physical chemistry from Harvard—a prodigious feat even in 1904. L a m b continued his studies at Leipzig, Heidelberg, and Goettingen. At Leipzig he studied under Ostwald, whose laboratory at that time was Mecca for the best talent in E u r o p e and America. Upon his return to the United States, Lamb became an instructor at H a r v a r d for a short period and in 1906 was made professor of chemistry and director of the Havemeyer Chemical Laboratory at New York University. He returned • to Harvard in 1912. With the entrance of the United States into World W a r I, he was summoned to Washington and placed in charge of the Defense Chemical Research Division of the newlv formed Chemical Warfare Service. His scien-
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tific talents and managerial ability were widely recognized by his associates in CWS. After the armistice, Dr. L a m b organized and directed the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory in Washington, D. C , to perfect methods for the conversion of the large wartime government plants at Muscle Shoals to the manufacture of fertilizers. It is interesting to note that while he was directing this work, Lamb found the time to edit the J ACS. For him there was no such thing as a 40-hour week. In 1921, L a m b returned to Harvard. He was largely responsible for rinsing the funds to build new chemical laboratories. He also had much to do with the design. In 3929 he was appointed Erving professor of chemistry and in 1940 dean of the graduate school or arts and sciences. These facts about Dr. Lamb's career are but mere details. They do not begin to picture the man as a man. He was so well known as a teacher and as an editor that his many solid scientific contributions frequently have been overlooked. H e was the holder of many patents and the number of scientific papers he contributed, reporting on his own research work, is quite surprising in view of the heavy demands that the editorship of J ACS made on his time. Dr. L a m b was a patent expert and a consultant to a number of important firms in this country. T h e AMERICAN C H E M I C A L SOCIETY was one of Dr. Lamb's
chief interests years before there was any thought that he would become the editor of the Society's oldest and most illustrious journal. Down through the years, the Society has turned to Dr. L a m b on many occasions for guidance and to head important committees. His calm demeanor, warm smile, genial personality, judicious manner, and intimate knowledge of Society affairs were particularly valuable in highly controversial matters. T h e Society in turn has acknowledged through several means the debt that it owes Dr. L a m b . He was elected President in 1933; he received the Nichols Medal in 1943, the Priestley Medal in 1949, and the Austin M. Patterson Award for Documentation in 1951. Lamb, as one might well expect, had a great respect for science and the contribution that science has made to human progress. This characteristic was very much in evidence in his Priestley Medal address when he said: "In spite of our troubled world and threats of impending disaster, I am convinced by the fundamental reasons which I h a v e set forth that a continuing progress in science offers the greatest promise, not only for our future material welfare, but also for the achievement of a richer, more significant, and more satisfying existence." These words epitomize the philosophy that guided Dr. Lamb's every thought and action. We have Jost a great inspirational leader, a builder of men, a man who gave of himself unselfishly in the cause of advancing scientific knowledge, not alone for the sake of uncovering new knowledge, hut to utilize it for the advancement of civilization. T h e memory of Dr. L a m b will ever be a source of inspiration to chemists the world over.
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