Chemistry Symposium in Honor of Kenneth S. Pitzer
Held January 9 to 13, 2000
Oral History Presented
An international symposium, January 9 to 13, 2000, sponsored by the College of Chemistry honored the life and scientific contributions of Kenneth S. Pitzer (1914-1997). Invited speakers and poster sessions covered all areas of theoretical chemistry.
Professor Pitzer's wife of 62 years, Jean Mosher Pitzer, was at the symposium, along with their two sons and daughter, to accept the presentation of the bound copy of the oral history of his life.
Kenneth S. Pitzer |
As the recently completed oral history makes clear, Kenneth Pitzer was a distinguished man by any measure. He was described by his Berkeley colleagues as "one of the greatest physical chemists of this century." Also a fine administrator, he served as technical director of the Maryland Research Laboratory, which designed and tested devices for behindthe- lines warfare during World War II, and after the war as the first director of the Atomic Energy Commission (1949-51). Later he became President of Rice University (1961-68) when race restrictions to admission were lifted and then President of Stanford University (1968-71) during the height of the campus turmoil over the Vietnam War.
Born in 1914 in Pomona, California, Kenneth S. Pitzer graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 1935 and two years later completed his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was immediately appointed to the faculty of the Chemistry Department and spent most of his distinguished career. From 1951 until 1960 he was Dean of the College of Chemistry. In 1971, he returned to Berkeley, becoming professor emeritus in 1984.
In chemistry, Professor Pitzer pioneered spectroscopic investigations of low-frequency molecular motion and developed methods for calculation of thermodynamic properties of complex molecules. A member of the National Academy of Sciences and, from 1965-68, of the President's Science Advisory Committee, Professor Pitzer was recognized by many awards, including the National Medal of Science.
Professor Pitzer was a life trustee of Pitzer College, one of the Claremont Colleges, which he helped his father found. At the Pitzer College graduation in 1966 he spoke of "Orthodoxy and Dissent." He said the college should be place to "pass on to the next generation the intellectual heritage of humankind" as well as a place to "encourage students to question ideas which are commonly accepted today." He championed "responsible dissent" of students. Berkeley honored him with election as Alumnus of the Year, the Clark Kerr Medal, the Berkeley Citation, and the naming of Pitzer Auditorium in Latimer Hall.
Pitzer died in 1997, having achieved exceptional distinction as a scientist, educator, administrator, public servant, and philanthropist. His papers were left to The Bancroft Library, giving researchers both oral and traditional written sources. Copies of the oral history are available for research use in Bancroft, while bound copies may be purchased from the Regional Oral History Office (510-642-7395).
Camilla Smith,
Council of the Friends of The Bancroft Library
Volume 116
Spring 2000
Table of Contents
The Silent Multitude of Voices in the Reading Room
From the Director: Bancroft Goes Digital
Highlights from Bancroft's Web Resources
Paramount Theatre Archives at The Bancroft Library
Three Monuments in the History of Science Arrive at Bancroft
Ancient Lives: The Tebtunis Papyri in Context
From Mine to Natural Reserve: ROHO records the transition
Chemistry Symposium in Honor of Kenneth S. Pitzer Held January 9 to 13, 2000: Oral History Presented
Welcome, Iris Donovan, Circulation Supervisor in Bancroft
