Susquehanna Valley Section

May 2007 Meeting

Three hundred and seventieth meeting of the American Chemical Society Susquehanna Valley Section will be our Annual Awards Banquet which will be held on Wednesday, 9 May 2007. With the presentation of various local section awards, the Annual Awards Banquet recognizes both aspiring and accomplished chemistry professionals in the area who have helped to promote chemistry, the chemical professions, and the section. This year's meeting will begin at 5:30 PM in the Kehr Union Building on the Bloomsburg University campus. The speaker will be Dr. James O'Brien who will present a talk entitle "Famous Mad Hatters".

Dinner: Dinner will a buffet-style with a selection of entrees, side dishes, salad and dessert. The cost will be $20. Please RSVP Sharlene Pollock by email (spollock@bloomu.edu) or phone (570) 389-5159 by 4:00 PM on Monday, 7 May 2007.

Joseph Priestley Service Award: The Section established the Joseph Priestley Service Award to recognize outstanding community involvement and outreach activities within our section membership. Dr. David A. Franz, Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus Lycoming College is the recipient of this years Joseph Priestley Service Award. As a special treat, Dave has graciously agreed to perform his famous "1812 Overture" clock reaction demonstration. Those who have seen say "Its 'spectacular!'"

Directions: see below

Famous Mad Hatters
The origin of the phrase "Mad as a Hatter" is due to the incidence of odd behavior on the part of workers in the early felt hat industry. Their odd behavior, or "madness," was the result of mercury poisoning contracted on the job. This presentation will discuss the recent mercury analyses done on the hair of Isaac Newton; the deterioration of the great mind of Michael Faraday; the bizarre behavior of Boston Corbett, the man who shot John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln; and the possibility that mercury poisoning affected the behavior of other famous people such as King Charles II of England, the author William Makepeace Thackeray, and a number of famous artists, such as Rubens, Renoir, Dufy, and Klee. "Mad" women in history have been more difficult to locate. One eminent female whose health was affected by chemical exposure was Clare Boothe Luce. Her health problems while serving as U.S. Ambassador to Italy in the 1950's will be discussed.

Jim O'Brien was born on July 4, in Philadelphia, PA. He received a BS in Chemistry with honors from Villanova University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota. Following postdoctoral work at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in New Mexico, he joined the faculty at Southwest Missouri State University. Dr. O'Brien has received Southwest Missouri State University awards for Excellence in Research in 1989, 1994, and 1998. He has received Southwest Missouri State University awards for Excellence in Teaching in 1992 and 2001. In 2001 he also received the Governor of Missouri's Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2002 the university named him Distinguished Professor. He is now retired and devoting himself to the history of chemistry, golf, bridge, Sherlock Holmes, Civil War history, and walking (formerly running).

Directions:

East of Bloomsburg: Use I-80 west to Exit 236A south.
West of Bloomsburg: Use I-80 east to Exit 236 south.
South of Bloomsburg:
From Central Pennsylvania, take Routes 11 and 15 north to the Town of Bloomsburg. Heading north on Main Street, you'll see Carver Hall directly ahead, and you'll arrive on the western end of the campus.
From southeast Pennsylvania, take Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-476) to I-80 west (Pocono Exit) to Exit 236A south.
North of Bloomsburg:
From the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, take I-81 south to I-80 west to Exit 236A south.
From the Williamsport area, take I-180 south to I-80 east to Exit 236.

From Exit 236 on I-80, take Route 487 south and follow signs to campus, approximately one mile. You'll arrive on the eastern end of campus. The first sign on the left will be at Buckingham Maintenance Center; the second sign on the left will lead up a steep entry and onto campus facing Centennial Hall.

Attendees can park anywhere on campus after 5:00, except in the metered parking on Second St. (meters are active until 2 am). It is suggested that attendees may find it convenient to park in the parking garage on the corner of Penn St. and Second St.
If you park in the parking garage you will be looking at Carver Hall (large gold dome). Kehr Union is situated behind Carver and the Scranton Commons.

The Bloomsburg University web site has more information on directions and also a campus map.