CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING

NEWS FEBRUARY 25, 1957 VOL. 35, NO. 8

APPLIED JOURNALS; ACS Director of Publications: C. B. Larrabee

Editorial Director: W. J . Murphy Executive Director: «James M. Crowe

Production Manager: Joseph H. Kuney

CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING NEWS Editor: Richard L.. Kenyon Managing Editor: Robert F. Gould EDITORIAL HEADQUARTERS Washington 6, D. C. 1155 Sixteenth St., N,W. Phone Republic 7-5300 Teletype WA 23

News Editor: Gordon H. Bixier Associate Editors: David M. Kiefer, George B. Krarviz, Ruth Cornette Assistant Editors: Kathryn Campbell, Helen H. Blunt, Irene G. Kiefer, Betty V. Kieffer, Whil -den W. Johnson, David E. Gushee, Arthur Poulos Editorial Assistants: Ruth L. Connor, Betty J . Corday, Bar­bara R. Christie, Harms L. Sperr Staff Artist: Melvin D. Buckner

BRANCH EDITORIAL OFFICES CHICAGO 1, ILL·. 86 East Randolph St. Phone State 2-7686 Teletype CG T25

Associate Editors: Kenneth M . Reese, Chester Placek Assistant Editor: Laurence J. White

HOUSTON 2, T E X . 718 Melrose Bldg. Phone Fairfax 3-7107

Associate Editor: Assistant Editor:

Teletype HO 72 Harry W. Haines, Jr . Bruce F. Creek

NEW YORK 16, Ν. Υ . 2 Park Ave. Phone Oregon 9-1646

Assistant Editors: William Q. Hull, Howard J . 5anders, Walter S. Fedor

Teletype WA 23

Harry Stenerson, D. Cray Weaver,

Associate Editor: Morton Sal kind ·+-

SAN FRANCISCO 4, CALIF. 703 Mechanics' Institute Bldg. S7 Post St. " Phone Exbrook 2-2895 Teletype SF 549

Associate Editor: Richard C New ha 11

EASTON, PA. 20th and Northampton Sts. Phone Easton 9111 Teletype ESTN Pa 48.

Associate Editor: Charlotte C. Sayre Editorial Assistants:

~ Joyce A. Richards, Elizabeth R. Rufe, June A. Barron

EUROPEAN OFFICE Bush House, Aldwych, London Phone Temple Bar 3605 Cable JIECH EM

Associate Editors: A lber ts . Hester >-Advisory Board: Hazel Bishop, Maurice F. Crass, Jr., R. L. Ericsson, C. C. Furnas, Lloyd A. Hal l , Theodore S. Hodgins, J. R. Hoover» J. Warren Kinsman, R. W . McNatnee, Lloyd H . Reyerson, E. O . Rochow, Glenn T. Sea-borg, Carl Setterstrom, Frank J . Sod ay, Thomas H. Vaughan

Advertising Management: REINHOLD PUBLISHING CORP. 430 Park Ave., New York 22, Ν. Υ. (For Branch Offices see page 129)

The American Chemical Society assumes no responsi­bility for the statements and opinions advanced by con­tributor* to its publications. Views expressed ia the edi­torials are those of the editors and do not necessarily repre­sent the official posidoh of the American Chemical Society.

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ACS NEWS SERVICE LUNCHEON IN M I A M I Killeffer, Firsf Grady Award Winner, to Speak

JL HE traditional ACS News Service breakfast at national meetings will not be held at the spring meeting in Miami. Instead, a luncheon is scheduled for Monday, April 8. David H. Killeffer, who is to receive a James T, Grady Award, will speak on Chemistry's Fourth Estate . Officers of the Society and a large delegation from the press, radio, and television will attend.

The AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY has grown in size and prestige, largely because of the labors of a great many devoted people. At the moment the names of three who made notable contributions are recalled—Parsons, Howe, and Grady. Parsons was Secretary of the ACS for 39 years; Harrison Howe was editor of the applied journals for 21 years, and Grady served as manag­ing editor of the News Service for 25 years. All three are honored by awards: the Howe Memorial Lecture, sponsored by the Rochester Section of the Society; the Charles Lathrop Parsons Award; and the James T. Grady Award, established in 1955. The first presentation of the Grady Award will be made to a man who was closely associated for many years with the man it honors.

The purpose of the Grady Award is to recognize, encourage, and stimulate outstanding reporting which materially increases the public's knowledge and understanding of chemistry, chemical engineering, and related fields. The word "reporting" is used in a very broad sense. Fields included are press, radio, television, films, the lecture platform, books, and pamphlets . The recipient need not be a member of the ACS, nor a chemist or chemical engineer. It just so happens that the first recipient is an ACS member and a well-known consultant. H e served on the editorial staflF of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry and has written a number of books on science for the layman. H e was a pioneer in developing radio programs, reporting on science in language understandable to the public.

The desirability, indeed, the necessity, of helping to improve the report­ing of progress in chemistry was recognized b y the ACS Board of Directors as early as 1916. The first step was the formation of a Press and Publicity Committee. Its budget was $500.

In 1917, Julius Stieglitz of the University of Chicago, who was ACS President, wrote the introduction to Edwin E. Slosson's book "Creative Chemistry." Stieglitz, reflecting the thinking of the Board of Directors of the Society, pointed out in his introductory remarks: "the whole nation's welfare demands . . . that our public be enlightened in t he matter of the relation of chemistry to our national life."

In 1919, the ACS News Service was established. The supervision of its activities was entrusted to the editor of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. In 1923 the Society had the good fortune to obtain the part-time services of the late James T. Grady, then director of public information of Columbia University and a pioneer in the interpretation of science to the layman. H e was given the title of managing editor. In 1945 he became a full-time employee of the Society.

During the 25 years of association with the publicity and public relations arm of the ACS, Grady developed a broad program of cooperation with the press, radio, and television, and won nationwide recognition as a vital aid to writers, editors, and broadcasters engaged in describing the march of science to the public.

Today the News Service has eight full-time employees and a budget of approximately $150,000.

The Society, in honoring the memory of Grady through the establishment of the James T. Grady Award, emphasizes the importance it attaches to good reporting of scientific and technological developments. In this day and age when much of such progress has terrific impact on every phase of living, it is evident that Stieglitz, Parsons, and the others who established the News Service 40 years ago were very farsighted individuals.

The ACS News Service luncheon in Miami will honor not one man but several.

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