Councilor's Corner - September 2008

The Council of the American Chemical Society convened in Philadelphia on Wednesday, August 20, 2008. As your Councilor, I want to give you the highlights from that meeting as it deals with Council business.

The following summary was provided to help Councilors report to their local sections and divisions on key actions and discussions of the ACS Council and Board of Directors at the 2008 fall national meeting.

ACTIONS OF THE COUNCIL

Election Results

· The Committee on Nominations and Elections presented to the Council the slate of nominees for membership on the Committee on Committees beginning in 2009. By written ballot, the Council elected Cherlynlavaughn Bradley, Rigoberto Hernandez, James M. Landis, Howard M. Peters, and Sara J. Risch for the 2009-2011 term.

· The Committee on Nominations and Elections presented to the Council the slate of nominees for membership on the Council Policy Committee beginning in 2009. By written ballot, the Council elected Ray A. Dickie, Bonnie A. Lawlor, Mamie W. Moy, and Eleanor D. Siebert for the 2009-2011 term.

· The Council Policy Committee presented to the Council the slate of nominees for membership on the Committee on Nominations and Elections. By written ballot, the Council elected W. H. (Jack) Breazeale, Jr., Peter K. Dorhout, Catherine C. Fenselau, Peter C. Jurs, and Andrea B. Twiss-Brooks for the 2009-2011 term; Angela K. Wilson for the 2009-2010 term; and Dwight W. Chasar for the remainder of a 2007-2009 term.

Candidates for President-Elect and Board of Directors

· The candidates for the fall 2008 ACS national election were announced as follows:

President-Elect 2009
Joseph S. Francisco, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Josef Michl, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO

Directors-at-Large – 2009-2011
William F. Carroll, Jr., Occidental Chemical Corporation, Dallas, TX
Richard L. Deming, California State University- Fullerton, Fullerton, CA
Thomas R. Gilbert, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Marinda Li Wu, Science is Fun! Orinda, CA

Director, District III 2009-2011
Pat N. Confalone, DuPont, Wilmington, DE
Alan B. Cooper, Schering-Plough Research Institute, Kenilworth, NJ

Director, District VI 2009-2011
Bonnie A. Charpentier, Metabolex, Inc., Hayward, CA
Gary D. Christian, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Petition

· The Council VOTED to accept the Petition on Society Affiliate Dues. The petition raises Society Affiliate dues to be equal to the (full) membership dues, while specifying that Society Affiliates are not subject to any of the discounts otherwise applicable to membership dues. To be valid, the petition next must be confirmed by the Board of Directors within 90 days, and will become effective five months following confirmation.

Committee Review

· As part of a regular review, the Council VOTED to continue the Committee on Chemistry and Public Affairs, and the Committee on Patents and Related Matters. The Committee on Chemistry and Public Affairs is responsible for advice and recommendations for ACS action on public policy matters involving the chemical sciences and technologies. The Committee on Patents and Related Matters considers patents and other related items insofar as such consideration and possible action are appropriate under the Society’s Charter.

Registration Report and 2009 National Meeting Registration Fee

· As of August 20, 2008, the ACS fall national meeting had attracted 13,800 registrants. Totals in select categories are as follows: Regular attendees 8,196; Students 3,087; Guests 481; Exhibit Only 546; and Exhibitors 1,490. In keeping with the objective of the National Meeting Long Range Financial Plan, previously approved by the Board of Directors and Council, the Meetings and Expositions Committee voted to support an increase of $10 for the 2009 national meetings advance registration fee.

Membership Activity

· In 2007, the number of paid new members nominated by current ACS members was 1,559. Currently, there are 988 paid new member applications. The Society’s Member-Get-a-Member program is on track to have its best year ever.

Professional Employment Guidelines

· The Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs submitted its latest version of the Professional Employment Guidelines for consideration. These guidelines offer a broad spectrum of recommended practices in employment for professional scientists and their employers. The Council will vote on the Professional Employment Guidelines at the 2009 spring meeting in Salt Lake City.


Revision of the Division Funding Formula and Formation of a New Division

· After a motion to recommit failed, the Council VOTED, as recommended by the Divisional Activities Committee (DAC), to accept a revised division funding (allocation) formula. DAC reported that the formula improves clarity, offers simplicity, and rewards collaborative programming between divisions. The change will take effect in 2009 for 2008 activities.

· The Council also VOTED to approve the formation of the Probationary Division of Catalysis Science and Technology. The primary objective of this probationary division is to provide a “home” for the chemical science of catalysis within the ACS in a way that will also insure a continual connection between this science and the essential chemical technology of catalysis.

ACTIONS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board’s Standing and Special Committees

· The Board of Directors received reports from its Executive Committee, and the Committees on Grants and Awards, Public Affairs and Public Relations, Professional and Member Relations, and Budget and Finance. On the recommendation of the Committee on Grants and Awards, the Board VOTED to approve nominees for the 2009 Perkin Medal and the 2009 Othmer Gold Medal. On the recommendation of the Committee on Professional and Member Relations, the Board VOTED to approve in principle a proposed alliance between the ACS and the RSC titled Research in Chemistry for Society/Sustainability (RICHES). On the recommendation of the Committee on Budget and Finance, the Board VOTED to include funding requests for the ACS Leadership Development System and ACS Green Chemistry Institute ® in the 2009 budget, and to accept the 2008 report from Program Review Advisory Group, as amended. The Board also accepted the recommendations from the 2008 Financial Planning Conference with one modification.

· The Board received a status report from its International Strategy Implementation Task Force and an update on plans for a Board-Presidential Task Force on Education. The International Strategy Implementation Task Force is charged with implementing the recently approved Society international strategy, and the Board-Presidential Task Force on Education will attempt to answer the question: “What can a Society with 160,000 members uniquely do that can have a transformative effect on education in the United States?”

Strategic Issue

· The Board of Directors continued its deliberations of the global scientific challenge Sustainability (e.g., energy, food, and water) and considered a proposed set of principles from the Committee on Environmental Improvement in this area. Addressing global scientific challenges is fundamental to strategic goal #3: ACS will be a global leader in enlisting the world’s scientific professionals to address, through chemistry, the challenges facing our world.


The Executive Director/CEO Report

· The Executive Director/CEO, along with several of her direct reports, updated the Board on the following items: the ACS Green Chemistry Institute ® Strategic Plan; the Web Presence Initiative; emerging issues affecting the Society; recommendations resulting from the new IRS Form 990 filing requirements; and the activities of Chemical Abstracts Service, the Publications Division, and the Society’s General Counsel. The emerging issues discussion was particularly vibrant as the ACS Board considered many of the key factors and trends that affect Society membership. As a follow-up to these reports the Board took several actions. The Board VOTED to amend its Regulations to conform with the new IRS Form 990 filing requirements; and on the recommendation of the Joint Board-Council Committee on Publications, the Board VOTED to approve the reappointment of several Society journal editors.

Other Society Issues

· The Board received an update on its substantial progress toward achieving its 2008 goals, and discussed a draft of proposed 2009 goals. The Board concluded its session with introductions and briefings from several international dignitaries representing the Royal Society of Chemistry, the German Chemical Society, the European Association for Chemical and Molecular Sciences, the Canadian Chemical Society, the Mexican Chemical Society, and IUPAC.

IMPORTANT NEWS: At the Philadelphia National Meeting, the Rochester Section received a ChemLuminary Award for “The Most Innovative New Activity or Program in a Local Section in 2007”. This award was for our efforts with NTID at RIT. We plan to have this award at the Local Section’s Award dinner in October so you will want to make sure you attend to see the beautiful honor.

As I stated in an earlier article, I am proud to represent Rochester as Chair of the ACS Membership Affairs Committee. I wanted to take some time in this article to describe what MAC is all about.

The ACS Committee on Membership Affairs is involved with recruiting and retaining ACS members by ensuring that ACS membership is a valuable resource in their professional lives. We do so by incorporating three subcommittees that meet, as an offshoot of the whole Committee, at each National ACS meeting. The three Subcommittees are:
o Categories and Dues
o Benefits and Services
o Recruitment and Retention

Categories and Dues

This Subcommittee is charged with the review of all membership dues categories and potential discounts. For instance, if there was a request for a special dues category and level for High School Chemistry Teachers, that proposal would be brought forth to this Subcommittee. The one thing that this Subcommittee does not handle is the base ACS dues level from year-to-year. That is handled through the Budget and Finance Committee.

Benefits and Services

This Subcommittee is charged with the review of all membership benefits and services in order to insure that we are maximizing the benefits of membership to our members. This is the Subcommittee that reviews al potential partners in business that offers members discounts, as was covered in my “Council Corner” within the June newsletter. One of the other positions I acquired, when I became Chair of this Committee, is a position on the Member Insurance Trust. This is the group the reviews all of the insurance programs offered to members. Updates from this Trust are brought forth to this Subcommittee. If you have an idea of a service or benefit that you would find valuable to you, please let me know so I can pass it onto this Subcommittee.

Recruitment and Retention

This Subcommittee is charged with coming up with programs that can help in the recruitment of new members as well as the retention of present members. This is a key area within the ACS because, like with any membership organization, people often come in and leave for a variety of reasons. For every person leaving, we have to bring in two new members to be ahead of the game. Many of you may have received a promotion called the “Member-get-a-Member” campaign. This is one of the programs that comes forth from this Subcommittee.

As you can see, the core of membership, what the ACS is all about, is within this Committee. I, for a long time, have been a champion for “membership value”. I would love to hear from any of you as to your ideas on what can bring better value to your ACS membership so that we can act on it and see if we can bring it to fruition.

Please remember that as Councilor, I am your voice on the national level. Feel free to contact me at 477-4903, email me at d.richard.cobb@kodak.com

or write me at:

15-C Greenleaf Meadows, Rochester, NY 14612.

D. Richard Cobb

Thank you!

50-Year ACS Member (2008): Lew Allen

An excellent role model, Lew Allen has long promoted the technical education of minorities and the disadvantaged and has encouraged them to pursue science degree programs. In 1969, while teaching at Florida A&M University, he first mentored a student in Project Catalyst, forerunner of the ACS SEED program (Summer Educational Experience for the Disadvantaged). For many years, he has been a driving force behind the local ACS Project SEED and was very active for 10 years on the national SEED Committee, co-chairing anniversary symposia.

Believing it is crucial to reach grade school students before they develop mind sets, Lew has long participated in the adopt-a-school program of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE). He still serves NOBCChE locally as moderator for various Science Bowl competitions. He had also worked on the PRIS2M program to interest local high school students in science and math. In the late 70’s, he was one of eleven black Ph.D.’s at Kodak, a high-water mark for U.S. companies.

Currently serving the Section as Member-at-Large and chair of the Retired Chemists and Project SEED Committees, Dr. Allen represented the Section as Councilor for 15 years. He was our Chairman in 1987, the Section’s 75th Anniversary year, which was capped by a very successful NERM-17 symposium. His other Section activities have included serving as treasurer, photographer, and on the lecture series, membership, and long range planning committees. In 1993 he received the well-deserved Rochester Section Award.

Born in Monroe, LA (1937), Lew grew up in New York City and took a competitive exam to attend the Bronx High School of Science (Class of ’54). Lew considered a pre-med track for college, but his respected H.S. teacher persuaded him that a chemistry career would provide a broader horizon. He received his B.S. from Queens College (City University of NY, 1958), and his Ph.D. (physical organic chemistry, 1963) from Syracuse University. From 1963-70 he served on the Florida A&M faculty, then joined the Color Photographic Chemistry Division in the Kodak Research Labs. On a 9-month detour to KRL’s Personnel Office, he conducted Ph.D. recruiting. In 1974 he was asked to coordinate responses to customers’ environmental questions. He envisioned a short-term job developing a catalog of standard answers, but questions became complex enough to be handled eventually by a group of more than 30. In 1980, Lew joined the Industrial Laboratory (later, Chemicals Quality Services), and soon became head of the Environmental Analytical Services Lab, and retired in 1992.

By special request, Lew taught Chemistry 101 for three years at MCC’s brand new lab on the Damon Campus (Sibley Building). He also managed to fit in teaching chemistry labs one semester each on the Brockport and Geneseo campuses and an MCC summer course for 3M first-level supervisors, who had little chemistry background. He countered “chemophobia” by providing them an awareness of chemistry’s contributions to society and its impact on consumers’ concerns. From 1993-9 he pursued his love of teaching at Empire State College. There, students at mid-career in their 30’s designed their independent studies for a degree, so Lew expanded his knowledge in toxicology, quality assurance, fire protection, and chemical safety.

Lew and his wife Diane, a retired Greece middle school math teacher, have a son, two daughters, and three grandchildren. They love to travel and have taken over 20 cruises. Last year they bought a Sarasota condo and became snowbirds. Lew has been active in Toastmasters and has served on the boards of the Bay View YMCA and the Retired Professional Society of Rochester. As an avid bridge player, he travels frequently to tournaments and has earned the title of Silver Life Master. J. Dolf Bass

50-Year ACS Member (2008): John Deutsch

John L. Deutsch was born in New York City in May 1938. He graduated from High School in Hattiesburg, MS. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Tulane University in 1959. As an
undergraduate, he also served as a Chemistry Tutor and Research Assistant. His
academic accomplishments at Tulane included: Phi Beta Kappa; Sigma Pi Sigma
(Physics Honor Society); and, ACS Award for the Outstanding Chemistry Student.

John Deutsch was nationally recognized as a Rhodes Scholar (1959) and embarked on graduate studies at Trinity College, Oxford University (UK). His doctoral supervisor at Oxford was Prof. Richard Barrow (Physical Chemistry/Chemical Physics). John specialized in molecular spectroscopy and was awarded D.Phil. in 1963. He has since maintained a close association with Oxford: post-doctorate research (1964); three occasions as a Summer Visiting Scientist with Professor Barrow. He has also conducted post-doctorate research in physics at the University of Stockholm and as Visiting Scientist at the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Ottawa.

Prior to joining SUNY Geneseo in 1966, John Deutsch served as Visiting Assistant Professor at Pomona College in California.

He recently completed a distinguished 41-year career at SUNY Geneseo (1966 – 2007). John was hired as the Chemistry Department’s first physical chemist. He taught a full spectrum of courses (analytical; inorganic; physical; freshman chemistry), as well as supervising undergraduate research.

Professor Deutsch was the recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Chemistry (1974; 1976). He has had a passion for encouraging high standards for chemical education by establishment of several John Deutsch Awards at SUNY Geneseo: Excellence in Chemical Thermodynamics; Excellence in Molecular Spectroscopy; Excellence in Physical Chemistry; and, General Chemistry Achievement.

Dr. Deutsch became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in 1983, a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemists in 1985 and has been a Member of the AAAS since 1960.

John Deutsch has also served our local ACS Section in the following capacities:
Chair, Rochester ACS Section (1989); Chair (four years), Harrison Howe Award Committee. While Chair of the Rochester ACS Section, he created the ACS Award for Outstanding Chemistry Students graduating from Colleges and Universities in our Section.

Dr. Deutsch has co-authored 19 publications in scientific journals and made 17 presentations at scientific meetings.

He met his future wife, Edna Robertson, when she was a graduate student studying Physical Chemistry on a Carnegie Scholarship at Oxford University in England. She has also maintained a strong interest in technical fields: post-doctoral research at Pomona College; teaching (SUNY Geneseo in computer sciences and mathematics; The Harley School in mathematics).

Edna and John Deutsch have two children: Karin and Erik. Karin (named in honor of a former Swedish queen) earned a Ph.D. in history at Cambridge University (UK). She is now associated with Freedom House in New York City. Erik (named after the Patron Saint of Stockholm) was awarded a Ph.D. in electrical engineering at MIT. He currently specializes in ‘MEMS’ (micro electrical mechanical systems).

John Deutsch has also maintained a life-long interest in music going back to Junior High School (1949). He later played in the Tulane University Wind Orchestra. While at Oxford, John Deutsch played French horn with four different symphony orchestras. His commitment to music continued with the SUNY Geneseo Orchestra playing horn and trumpet.

Max M. Boudakian
July 27, 2008

50-Year ACS Member (2008): Jack Kampmeier

On November 13, professors J. Kampmeier (Rochester), D. Gosser (NYC), and P. Varma-Nelson (Indianapolis) will be honored by the ACS Northeastern Section as recipients of the James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry. This coveted award recognizes their leadership work to develop the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) Workshop model for teaching chemistry. A break from the traditional lecture/recitation model, PLTL trains students to guide small teams of students of the following year’s class in working together to solve challenging problems designed by the faculty member. This provides a greatly enhanced learning experience for the students, a leadership role for the undergraduate leader, and a creative new dimension to faculty teaching. Currently, 1500-2000 peer leaders are engaged on more than 150 campuses to facilitate Workshops for over 20,000 students each year. PLTL is propagating from science and math courses to engineering, economics, and business school courses, since it provides students better conceptual understanding as they construct their own knowledge. Students find it fun because they discuss, debate, question, and try to explain the meaning of observations and data with their peers, just as scientists do in research meetings.

Jack is excited to have had a pivotal role in developing these new teaching techniques and is grateful for NSF grant support. His leadership in teaching was previously recognized by receipt of UofR’s E. P. Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (1974), its R. H. Goergen Award for Artistry and Achievement in Undergraduate Teaching (1999), and the Chemical Manufacturer’s Association’s Catalyst Award for Excellence in Science Teaching (1999).

Born (1935) into a family of engineers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jack attended schools in the suburban Chicago and Philadelphia areas. Receiving his A.B., cum laude, from Amherst College (1957) and Organic Chemistry Ph.D. from University of Illinois (1960, under Prof. Curtin), he directly joined the University of Rochester chemistry faculty and rose to full professor by 1971. Dr. Kampmeier views his UofR teaching career in overlapping 15-year segments, where his main focus was chemical research (1960-75), administration (1975-90), and pedagogical research (1990-2005). His teaching and research in organic chemistry emphasized reaction mechanisms of free radical, organometallic, and electron transfer reactions. Administrative positions included Chemistry Department Chairman, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Associate Director of the NSF Center for Photoinduced Charge Transfer. Building on his teaching innovations of the ‘60’s, Jack teamed up with Vicki Roth of UofR’s Learning Assistance Services in 1995 to introduce peer-led teaching in his course in organic chemistry. The UofR initiative has now propagated to include 15-20 courses in eight different departments. His two sabbaticals, as NSF Faculty Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley (1971-2) and as Fulbright Senior Research Scholar at the Albert Ludwigs Universitat, Freiburg, Germany (1979-80), have been the only interruptions of a career devoted to the University of Rochester. As Emeritus Professor, Jack still has a UofR office and is working on publishing collaborative papers both in chemistry and education.

Jack’s local ACS activities included chairing the Program and Harrison Howe Committees, and encouraging U of R’s Student Affiliate. Nationally, he has long been a member of the Organic Chemistry and Chemical Education Divisions. Hobbies include bird watching, reading, play going, music, and opera. Jack first met Anne Derk in 5th grade and some dozen years later (1958) they were married and lived along the Rhine in Germany for a few months. They still love river cruises and other travel in Europe. Jack and Anne have two professional sons and a daughter, who is a classical pianist in NYC. Always smiling, Jack has made the most of his academic and professional career and enjoyed interactions with many friends and co-workers. J. Dolf Bass

50-Year ACS Member (2008): Dolf Bass

Born in 1933, the son of a chemist, growing up in Midland, Michigan “within nose range” of Dow Chemical, and a fascination with the creative potential of “tailor-making” compounds for specific tasks may be among factors enticing Dolf Bass into a chemical career. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Michigan (1956) and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin (1960 under W.S. Johnson). During his two years of USAF duty, he helped set up a laboratory and research program on solar energy conversion systems at the AF Cambridge Research Laboratories near Boston. In 1963, after a year’s postdoctoral photochemistry research project at Harvard under E.J. Corey, Dolf joined the Kodak Research Laboratories. Over the years he explored diverse areas of photographic chemistry including image application systems, silver complexes, physical development, lithography, color couplers, sensitizing dyes, and diffusion transfer studies. As Research Associate in the Emulsion Research Division patent liaison group, he did patent searches, assisted attorneys in patenting inventions, and assessed other manufacturers’ technical advances. He was part of a technical intelligence group focusing on Kodak competitors’ environmental efforts when he retired in 1991.

In retirement, Dolf continued active involvement in the Webster Presbyterian Church. This included a third term as Elder, chairing a pastor search committee, resettling Sudanese refugees, serving on Trustees and the Stewardship & Budget Committee, writing WPC’s annual financial reviews, helping select organists and choir directors, and working on successful energy conservation construction projects. As a choir member for more than 40 years, he’s “the tenor with the longest tenure”. In 1971 he co-chaired the University of Life lecture series program sponsored by the Webster Council of Churches.

Dolf has been active in the Rochester Section for more than four decades, both behind the scenes and in leadership positions, and was the 1983 Rochester Section Award recipient. In addition to serving as 1975 Section Chairman, he has chaired the High School Teachers’ Night, Education, Centennial, Spring Lecture Series, and Long Range Planning committees. He also worked on NERM 11 and 17, Nominating, Program, High School Teachers’ Award, Membership Affairs, and Rochester Section Questionnaire committees. He has served as Alternate Councilor (1978-9, 1988, 1990-1) as Councilor (1980-7, 1989) and on the national ACS Committee on Patents and Related Matters (1983-91). While Section Chairman, he was instrumental in launching the local Technician Affiliate Group and in mounting the Operation Interface program to foster better cooperation and communication between members in industry and local colleges. In many of these activities he encouraged others toward a more active ACS participation. He initiated a Section investment program replacing low-yield CDs with much higher yielding mutual funds. In recent years he’s been active with the Retired Chemists Committee.

Dolf’s interest in encouraging innovation led him to organize and chair a national ACS innovation symposium and a very well received 1983 Rochester ACS lecture series entitled, “The High Tech Innovation Challenge – Creativity, Productivity and Invention”. He was successful in obtaining some financial backing from the ACS Program Development Fund and persuading other local professional societies to assist in cooperative sponsorship.

Married in 1959, Dolf and his wife Edie live in Webster and have four daughters -- Kristin, Erika, and twins Berit and Margrit. Dolf enjoys writing birthday verses for their five grandchildren. For relaxation he enjoys reading, travel, Sudoku, and swimming nearly a mile weekdays at the Y. His travel has included several cruises, many with family. He’s been involved with fundraising for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and served six years on the Bayview YMCA Board. Dolf has been happy to work with and learn from so many able and dedicated people in various efforts over the years.

Lew Allen

50-Year ACS Member (2008): Anil Mukherji

Anil Mukherji was born in Gwalior, India but grew up in Jhansi where he completed his high school education. His BS, MS, and PhD degrees in chemistry were all received from Allahabad University. The subject of his PhD thesis was Metal Complexes. Anil was also elected to the Sigma Xi honorary society.

After moving to the United States, Anil performed post-doctoral research work at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge from 1957 to 1960 in the fields of air and water pollution. He was then appointed an Assistant Professor at LSU, New Orleans where he taught Analytical Chemistry until 1965. Moving then to Philadelphia, he was an Associate Professor at Drexel University, also teaching Analytical Chemistry there until 1972. Anil has published prolifically with about 200 papers and a book to his credit, the latter being "Analytical Chemistry of Zirconium and Hafnium", published by Pergamon Press.

Anil left teaching to enter the industrial realm by joining Xerox in Rochester in 1972. His career there spanned 28 years, the first 13 in the laboratory involving analysis of polymers. Subsequently he worked in quality control ensuring the maintenance of specifications for the raw toner and photoreceptor materials. Anil retired from Xerox in 2000. His wife Nina is also retired after working 25 years as a librarian in the Xerox Research Library.

Retirement for the Mukherjis has been busy. They maintain a small garden, and he does volunteer work at Hill Haven in Webster and occasionally at the India Community Center. Both Anil and Nina are seasoned travelers and have already visited Australia and about 13 countries in South America, Europe, and Asia. Their most memorable trip so far was a three day journey from Lhasa, Tibet through remote areas of the country to Katmandu and then climbing to the base camp of Mt. Everest at 18000 ft. elevation. Luckily, and rarely no clouds obscured the peak and the magnificent view remains etched in his memory. Another of Anil's favorite trips was to the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru.

The Mukherjis have 4 grandchildren, 2 grandsons living with daughter Monica and husband in Darien, Ct. and a grandson and granddaughter in Brighton with daughter Keya and her husband. Visiting the grandchildren, tending the garden, volunteering, and planning and embarking on travel adventures keep the Mukherjis well occupied. A soon to be trip to India to visit relatives is already in the works, and who knows what after that?

George A. Brown

50-Year ACS Member (2008): Daniel W. Grisley

Dan Grisley was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1930, of schoolteacher parents. He received his elementary and secondary education in the Providence schools, and went on to Brown University, graduating with a B.A., majoring in chemistry. His graduate work was done at Yale under Prof. Emile White, with research on nitroamides resulting in his Ph.D. in organic chemistry. in 1958. He was then employed at the central research laboratories of Monsanto at Dayton, Ohio, working on organic synthesis projects. He then went on to the company's Massachusetts and St. Louis laboratories, spending 11 years with Monsanto. This was followed by 3 years of pesticide work at Syracuse University's Research Corporation, and then two years of various application projects at W.R Grace, ending in 1970. Dan then spent two years on a post-doctoral study of clinical chemistry at Hartford Hospital, followed by a position as clinical chemist at Deaconess Hospital. In 1976 he joined Kodak, working for 10 years with Dr. Roy Rand on clinical testing projects at the Health, Safety and Environmental Laboratory. He ended his career at Kodak working with Glen Bodman in the Technical Safety Laboratory, retiring in 1991. Dan married Katherine Weaver in 1955. They have two daughters, one son, and 6 grandchildren. He is involved in wildlife and environmental matters, and enjoys gardening.
Norman Allentoff

50-Year ACS Member (2008): Ralph Reynolds

Ralph Reynolds’s entire career was with Kodak in what eventually came to be called Health, Safety and Environment.

Ralph was born and raised in New York City, Queens, and graduated in 1947 from Brooklyn Tech High School, which with over 5000 students offered a chemistry course. After high school he worked as a lecture assistant at CCNY for about four years.

He was drafted into the army in 1952 and went to a radar school in El Paso, TX. He was kept on as an instructor in electronics there, but eventually decided in 1954 to go back to school, MIT, and with some credits from CCNY graduated in 1957. He worked his way through as a glass worker, building glass apparatus.

After a preliminary summer job at Synthetic Chemistry, Ralph started at Kodak in the Laboratory of Industrial Medicine, which through the years and a succession of name changes has become Health, Safety and Environment. Through the years he worked on many different problems under the general heading of biochemical toxicology.

One area of investigation was metabolism of foreign substances, such as photographic developers and food additives. He also synthesized compounds containing radioactive tracers (C14) and used them in metabolic experiments with humans. One food additive was sucrose acetate isobutyate, introduced by Tennessee Eastman, as a carrier for water-insoluble food constituents.

Other studies concerned skin sensitization by color developers, the toxicology of clothing dyes, what happens on ingestion of certain polymers, and the use of cyanoacrylate “superglue” for surgical suturing. In many of these studies he worked with Bernard Astill in Rochester and with the chemists at Tennessee Eastman.

Ralph retired in 1995. He lives on Ridge Road in Greece with his wife Katherine. They have two children, a son who is an architect in Los Angeles, and a daughter who is a stay-at-home mom for their 15-year-old grandson in the Philadelphia area. Over the years they have traveled widely, usually on their own, in Africa, South America, Europe and the Caribbean. Their only travels now take them to Martha’s Vineyard, where they spend two weeks every summer with their families.

Ralph has been active in the local chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, as President for 10 years. He and Katherine have also been members of ACLU, Planned Parenthood and MCPEARL (Monroe Citizens for Public Education and Religious Liberty). He has a very nice shop in his basement and keeps busy with projects around home.

Councilor's Corner - August 2008

The next National Meeting of the American Chemical Society is fast approaching. In this article, I wanted to give my fellow Rochester Section members a heads up on the business coming before Council (that I am aware of) so that each of you can offer input if you wish.

There are four decisions and one Bylaw change being brought before Council at this meeting.

A Bylaw proposal coming forth would alter the dues structure for Affiliate Members of the Society. As some background information, Society Affiliates enjoy the same privileges as members, except that they cannot vote for or hold an elective position in the SOCIETY or its Local Sections and Divisions. They are eligible for the same meeting fees and publication subscription rates as members of the SOCIETY. It therefore seems appropriate that they should pay the full member dues. As of the last "official" membership count on December 31, 2006, there were 1290 Society Affiliates. A five-month delay is specified because dues notices are typically sent out up to four months in advance of the due date, and lead time is required for printing of revised materials.

1. The Council will vote on a Division Activities Committee (DAC) proposal around the distribution of the Divisional Allotments.

2. The Council will also be asked to vote on a Division Activities Committee (DAC) proposal to change the status of the Catalysis Secretariat to a formal division called The Catalysis Science and Technology Division (CATL).

3. The Council will be electing members to the Committee on Committees (ConC). Candidates for election to ConC (five will be elected) are:

George M. Bodner James M. Landis
Cherylynlavaughn Bradley Carol B Liddy
Rigoberto Hernandez Roger A. Parker
Roland F. Hirsch Howard M. Peters
Ann H. Hunt Sara J. Risch

4. The Council will be electing members to the Council Policy Committee (CPC). Candidates for election to CPC (four will be elected) are:

R. Gerald Bass Pamela D. Kistler
Ray E. Dickie Bonnie A. Lawlor
Alan M. Erlich Mamie W. Moy
Joseph A. Heppert Eleanor D. Siebert

If you have an opinion on this matter, it is vital that I hear from you so that I can represent you when I vote.

As I prepare for the Fall National Meeting, I am honored to announce to our Rochester Section members that the results are in from the 2007 ACS Annual Reports. If you remember my closing remarks as your Chair in 2007, I said, “Now you can see the whole picture of we have done in the last 12 months - and it is amazing! Sometimes one needs to step back to get a real view of where things are. I am proud of what we have accomplished in 2007. It was President Ronald Reagan who said, on the eve of his departure from office, “We did not come here to mark time; we came here to make a difference.” Well, we made a difference! The Rochester Section has been nominated for seven (7) National ACS ChemLuminary awards. This is a very large number for any Local Section, regardless of size. The categories we have been nominated for are as follows:

• Chemists with Disabilities--Chemists with Disabilities Inclusion Award
• Committee on Community Activities--Outstanding Event for a Specific Audience
• Committee on Local Section Activities--Most Innovative New Activity or Program in a Local Section
• Joint Subcommittee on Diversity--ChemLuminary Award For Diversity
• Younger Chemists Committee--Outstanding Local Section Younger Chemists Committee
• Younger Chemists Committee--Outstanding or Creative Local Section Younger Chemists Committee Event
• Committee on Local Section Activities--Outstanding Performance by a Local Section Medium Large Size Category Award
  

We have been asked to present a poster on our activities at the National Meeting, prior to the award presentations and I will be doing so.

Whether we win any of these awards or not, we can all be proud of the recognition given to us by the National ACS for the year we had in 2007. I look forward to the awards ceremony that will be held on Tuesday evening, August 19th in Philadelphia.

Please remember that I, and Jim Reynolds, are your voices on the national level. Feel free to contact me at 477-4903, email me at:
d.richard.cobb@kodak.com

or write me at:

15-C Greenleaf Meadows, Rochester, NY 14612.


Thank you!