Speakers at 'light and Color In Chemistry" event (left photo, from left) John P. Schaefer, Felice Frankel, Hoffmann, and Wasserman; some of the exposition displays (below).
From the ACS meeting
ACS members gather, celebrate in Anaheim Memories of Glenn T. Seaborg and recollections of his long, exceptional life enriched last week's national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, Calif. Among commemorations of the recently deceased Nobel Laureate chemist were a memorial program attended by hundreds, a eulogy delivered by University of Utah chemistry professor Robert W. Parry at the meeting of the ACS Council, and an ACS Board resolution marking Seaborg's passing and praising his life's great accomplishments. Not only was the glory of chemistry's giants—including 1999 ACS Priestley Medalist Ronald Breslow, ACS national award winners, and the past 25 Arthur C. Cope Awardees—celebrated with banquets, ceremonies, and special symposia, but the glory of color and light and the aesthetics of chemistry were also celebrated.
Hosted by ACS President Ed Wasserman, a well-attended presidential event, "Pushing the Rainbow: Frontiers in Color Chemistry," presented results from several researchers who are exploring technologies associated with color and spectroscopy, emphasizing the chemistry behind these technologies. A related presidential event, "Light and Color in Chemistry," addressed how chemistry has contributed to the understanding of color. One of the three speakers, Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann, Cornell University chemistry professor, spoke to a packed hall on the derivation and chemistry of certain purple and blue
Memories of Seaborg shared in celebration of his life A memorial session honoring the life of Glenn T. Seaborg attracted hundreds of the late chemist's colleagues, students, and admirers at the American Chemical Society national meeting last week. University of California, Berkeley, chemistry professor Darleane C. Hoffman, a long-time collaborator of Seaborg's, presided over the event, which was called "Legacy of a Giant" During the program, those who had worked with Seaborg shared reminiscences. Gerhart Friedlander, a retired senior chemist at Brookhaven National Laboratory, knew Seaborg for more than 6 0 years. He was one of Seaborg's first two graduate students in the late 1930s and recalled late-night lab visits by Seaborg. Those visits ended with the U.S. entrance into World War II. Because Friedlander was a German national, a Holocaust escapee, he couldn't go out at night, he explained. But Seaborg's support didn't stop. "Glenn stuck his neck out and had me work on some of the early stages of the Manhattan Project This was difficult," he recalled, "because I was considered an 'enemy alien,' but, then, not even [Enrico] Fermi had full clearance." Seaborg was not only an advocate for his students, he was also an ardent football fan. "The last time Cal went to the Rose Bowl, he was chancellor," laughed Kimberly Thomas, now a
group leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Thomas was Seaborg's first graduate student after he retired from the Atomic Energy Commission. At first, Thomas kept her membership in the university's marching band to herself, not wanting Seaborg to think she was, perhaps, less serious than other students. She needn't have worried. "When he found out, he was ecstatic," she said. Thomas recalled one Cal-UCLA game in particular. There she was, standing with the band in her marching band uniform, when a titter went through the band and she was told that she was wanted up front "I looked like a toy solider, with the tall hat and everything," she said. That was the moment Seaborg introduced her to Linus Pauling—"glockenspiel and all." At the memorial session, it was announced that the E. O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, has established the Glenn T. Seaborg Center. The center, located at LBNL, will be devoted to the fundamental science needed to solve the nation's nuclear-related challenges and to educate and train current and future generations of scientists in heavyelement research. Memorial services were also held last week at Berkeley.
Linda Raber
dyes in ancient times and today and their interrelated social, political, and religious significance. Another presidential event, a symposium commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Percy L. Julian, celebrated the life and professional accomplishments of one of the most distinguished black chemists of the 20th century. More than 13,000 people attended the meeting and exposition, which featured 254 companies exhibiting products and services in 438 booths. At the meeting, the ACS Publications Division announced the launch of "ASAP Alerts," a new free online service that sends e-mail announcements of newly available articles from the web editions of ACS journals. Also announced was the debut early next year of a journal on biomacromolecular science. Chemical Abstracts Service unveiled several new products and enhancements, including electronic availability of information published during the first 60 years of Chemical Abstracts—1907-1967. The Committee on Budget & Finance reported that ACS ended 1998 financially sound, with core programs making a net contribution to the society of $400,000. The ACS Board approved 134 Petroleum Research Fund grantsin-aid totaling just over $4.8 million. The ACS Council voted to do away with the $10 fee charged to lapsed members to reinstate their membership in ACS and selected candidates for 2000 president-elect They are ACS Directorat-Large Attila E. Pavlath, lead scientist, Process Chemistry & Engineering, USDA Western Regional Research Center, Albany, Calif.; and Alan Schriesheim, emeritus director, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, 111. Linda Raber MARCH 29,1999 C&EN
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