HMWWSII
Aug. 16 1954 WALTER J. MURPHY, Editor
N e w York—Big Doings One always expects G. Frederick Smith to do the unusual and, as chairman of the Division of Analytical Chemistry, 13,000 chemists and chemical engineers to New York. T h e he is not letting his fellow analysts down. Speaker at t h e week following t h e ACS celebration witnessed an Interna- Wednesday night banquet will be Branch Rickey, currently tional Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry meeting a n d trying to bring the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team out of Congress, and a further registration of nearly three thousand. the dungeon of last place in the National League. Rickey is Taken together, t h e two meetings constituted the largest the man who brought success first to the St. Louis Cardinals, gathering of men a n d women of t h e chemical profession and then the Brooklyn Dodgers. In a recent article in Life ever held. N o w it would appear that registration for t h e magazine, he expressed his ideas on what the proper use of 126th National Meeting in New York, Sept. 12 to 17, most the statistical approach does to many well-known baseball reputations, a n d t h e controversy is raging fiercely in t h e likely will come close to the record set in 1951. A few months ago the general consensus was that the sports pages of t h e country's newspapers. Perhaps t h e 1954 fall meeting might draw 12,000. Now many are analysts will get some practical ideas on the use of statistical talking figures as high as 15,000. T h e reason, or rather the design from t h e great man of baseball. W e could go on and on reporting special events. Many reasons, for these optimistic revisions are to b e found in the final program published in the Aug. 9 issue of C&EN. T h e of those on t h e program will b e held in conjunction with number of papers to be presented and t h e number of scien- Columbia University's bicentennial celebration dedicated to tific and technical sessions scheduled constitute new records, the theme, "Man's Right to Knowledge and the Free Use b u t these factors are not the whole story. A number of very Thereof." The ACS News Service breakfast on Thursday morning special events will b e tied into the fall meeting this year. One of the very special highlights will take place on for officers of local sections and divisions and local section Sunday evening, Sept. 12, when the Commercial Chemical publicity and public relations chairmen will consist of a panel Development Association and t h e Chemical and Marketing of three very highly regarded individuals in science reportEconomics Division of the ACS will jointly sponsor a social ing. It promises t o b e one of t h e most instructive in t h e hour and gala dinner in the main ballroom of t h e Hotel series. T h e Division of Industrial a n d Engineering Chemistry Statler. Obviously t h e theme of the festivities will be commercial will hold the second annual I&EC Lecture on Tuesday, Sept. development of chemicals. T h e principal speaker will be 14. C. C . Furnas, now chancellor of the University of BufJ. G. Davidson, chairman of Carbide & Carbon, who will falo, has chosen as his subject "Energy Resources of t h e discuss the role of commercial chenrcal development in the Future." As one examines t h e final program for t h e fall meeting organic chemical industry. Who is better qualified to discuss this subject than Dr. Davidson who, with his close friend and as printed in last week's C&EN, one is struck by t h e large collaborator, George Curme, built a fundamental research number of non-ACS organizations and groups w h o take project, started at Mellon Institute, into a great industry, advantage of the fact that an ACS meeting attracts more and who helped to build one of t h e largest chemical com- chemists, engineers, and chemical executives than any other panies in t h e world? Another attraction at the dinner will single function. They schedule their meetings or get-tobe the launching of CCDA's n e w book on "Commercial gethers a t these times. A quick run-down of t h e printed program shows more Chemical Development," prepared by members of the than 70 such functions, and there are still many other groups association. It will be a night t o b e remembered for many which will meet sometime during the week of Sept. 12, that years. Another very special feature t o b e held during ACS week are not listed, such as the directors meeting of the Armed will b e the 20th anniversary dinner of the National Associ- Forces Chemical Association, a n d the famous "Bobb" dination of Science Writers, Thursday evening, Sept. 15, in t h e ners of the chemists and chemical engineers who were in ballroom of t h e Statler. The N A S W is inviting all of t h e Europe in 1945 investigating the German chemical industry. W e have heard infrequently t h e complaint that these soNobel Prize winners in the natural sciences who are in this called outside activities and functions detract in some way country, as guests. Industry is actively cooperating and, from ACS meetings, as such. They probably make ACS undoubtedly, t h e affair will tax the capacity of t h e Statler national meetings much more hectic, b u t we think they a d d facilities. It is very appropriate that the NASW celebrate to rather than detract from t h e Society's meetings. T h e its 20th anniversary during the time of an ACS meeting, practice of holding many social events and even business because it h a d its inception in the press room of the ACS meetings of non-ACS organizations during ACS national News Service. meetings demonstrates dramatically t h e wide spectrum of There will be, of course, the usual luncheons, social hours, service the Society performs for all segments of the chemical and dinners of the divisions of t h e Society. Three (Industrial profession. It is ample evidence of the vigor, versatility, a n d and Engineering Chemistry, Chemical Literature, and resourcefulness of the A M E R I C A N C H E M I C A L SOCIETY. Its Chemical Marketing and Economics) are combining forces constructive effect on t h e chemical profession and the for a Wednesday luncheon, also to b e held in t h e ballroom chemical process industries has been and continues to b e of of the Statler, with Don Rogers, business and financial editor such magnitude as to almost defy one's imagination to of the New York Herald Tribune, as t h e principal speaker. evaluate properly.
JL H E E E YEABS AGO, the Diamond Jubilee Meeting of the A M E R I C A N C H E M I C A L SOCIETY attracted approximately
