MS-328 Dayton Section, American Chemical Society Records

Introduction

The Dayton Section, American Chemical Society Collection was accessioned into Wright State University’s Department of Special Collections and Archives in July 2001. The collection was donated by Harold Rosenberg and consists of papers he accumulated over the course of his membership in this organization.

The papers in this collection date from 1959-2000 and occupy seven boxes or 3.5 linear feet. There are no restrictions on the use of the collection.

The collection is arranged into 14 series as follows:

• Series I: Affiliate Societies Council
• Series II: Agendas
• Series III: Awards
• Series IV: Bulletins
• Series V: Elections
• Series VI: Financial Statements
• Series VII: Meeting Notices
• Series VIII: Member Rosters
• Series IX: Minutes
• Series X: Notes
• Series XI: Photographs
• Series XII: Programs
• Series XIII: Reports
• Series XIV: Rules

Organizational Sketch

A group of Dayton chemists organized the Dayton Chemist’s Association in May 1929. In December 1930, the Association petitioned the American Chemical Society’s Board of Directors to establish a local section in the Dayton area. The request was granted and the charter for the Dayton Section was executed on December 6, 1930. The Dayton Section was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in 1946. Today, the Dayton Section is one of 33 divisions maintained by the American Chemical Society.

Harold Rosenberg, the donator of this collection, received a B.S. degree in chemistry from Roosevelt University in 1946 and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1947 and 1950 respectively. He did an Air Force Postdoctoral Fellowship at Purdue University in 1950-1951. Dr. Rosenberg retired from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base where he was a Senior Scientist and Research Group Leader, Air Force Materials Laboratory. As an active member of the Dayton Section of the American Chemical Society, Dr. Rosenberg chaired the Professional Practices and Investment Committees. Dr. Rosenberg also held several offices including Chair, Chair-Elect, Treasurer, and Alternate Councilor.

Scope and Content Note

Series I: Affiliate Societies Council

The Affiliate Societies Council was established in 1969 and consists of approximately 50 engineering and science-related professional societies including the Dayton Section of the American Chemical Society. Each year during Dayton’s Engineers and Scientists Week, the Council honors outstanding contributors in the areas of research, technical leadership, education, and engineering design and development. This series contains programs and other papers relating to this event. Prepared by the Education Committee of the Council, the Dayton Technicalendar, copies of which are included in this series, provides the community with a calendar of technical events. Also included within this series are Council member rosters.

Series II: Agendas

This series includes the agendas of the monthly Board of Director’s meetings. (Series VIII contains the minutes of these meetings.)

Series III: Awards

The Dayton Section sponsors several awards each year. They include:

Austin M. Patterson-E.J. Crane Award
Awarded jointly by the Dayton and Columbus Sections, the Patterson-Crane Award is given in honor of Austin M. Patterson (1876-1956) and E.J. Crane (1889-1966), previous editors of Chemical Abstracts. The award was established in 1949 by the Dayton Section to acknowledge contributions in the field of chemical literature, especially documentation of chemistry.

High School Chemistry Award (formerly the Thomas-Hochwalt Award)
The most outstanding students from area high schools, identified by their scores on a multiple choice test, receive a plaque from the Dayton Section. In addition, top scorers from the exam may submit an essay on “Chemistry and Its Relevance to Me” for cash awards. The top eight students qualify to take the regional Chemistry Olympiad exam for the National Team.

James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching
The purpose of this award, given by the American Chemical Society, is to recognize, encourage and stimulate outstanding teachers of high school chemistry in the United States. Nominations are made by local sections of the ACS. Each local section can nominate one candidate per year. A national award committee, appointed by the ACS, selects one of these local candidates as the recipient of the award.

Poster Session/College Awards
These two events take place on the same evening. For the Poster Session, area college students are invited to participate by presenting a poster relating to any area of chemical research. The College Award is presented to an outstanding junior chemistry major from each college and university within the Dayton Section. Students are selected on the basis of academic achievement, campus involvement, character, and potential for success.

Series IV: Bulletins

Bulletins are issued bimonthly by the Dayton Section. (Up until 1987, bulletins were published monthly.) The bulletins contain information such as meeting announcements, summaries of past meetings including abstracts of talks given by guest speakers, election results, and articles of interest.

Series V: Elections

Elections for officers are conducted yearly. Dayton Section members are sent a ballot along with biographical sketches of the candidates.

Series VI: Financial Statements

Included in this series are copies of annual reports submitted by the Dayton Section to the American Chemical Society and monthly Treasurer’s Reports which are prepared and submitted to the Section’s Board of Directors. Also included in this series are Patterson Fund Investment Reports which indicate the investment activity of an endowment established to support the Patterson-Crane Award.

Series VII: Meeting Notices

Among the notices contained in this series are ones announcing the Dayton Section’s monthly eneral meetings as well as notices for local, regional and national conferences and workshops.

Series VIII: Member Rosters

These rosters contain the names and home or work addresses of each member of the Dayton Section along with the year each individual became a member.

Series IX: Minutes

This series contains the minutes of the monthly Board of Director’s meetings. (Series II contains the agendas of these meetings.)

Series X: Notes

Included in this series are handwritten notes made by the donator of the collection, Harold Rosenberg. They include items such as drafts of correspondence, proposals and talks, and notes taken during meetings.

Series XI: Photographs

There are eight photographs of individuals included in this series. The name of each person is handwritten on the back of each photo.

Series XII: Programs

Dayton Section members participate in several programs throughout the year. They include:

Campaign for Chemistry
The Campaign for Chemistry is an annual fund drive sponsored by the American Chemical Society. Donations are used to support programs and activities designed to increase scientific literacy, public awareness and technological capacity.

National Chemistry Day
The first National Chemistry Day was declared by the American Chemical Society in 1987 to promote the public’s understanding and appreciation of the role that chemistry plays in our everyday lives.

National Chemistry Week
This is an outreach program of the American Chemical Society aimed at enhancing the public’s awareness of the contribution of chemistry to our lives and to the nation’s economy.

Project SEED
Project SEED, SEED being an acronym for Summer Educational Experience for the Disadvantaged, is an outreach program directed at minority and economically disadvantaged high school students. It was started by the ACS in 1968. The Dayton Section has participated since 1988. Each participating student works in a local industrial, governmental or academic laboratory.

Series XIII: Reports

Among the miscellaneous reports included in this series are survey results, long range planning reports, and Councilor’s reports on highlights of annual ACS meetings.

Series XIV: Rules

This series includes bylaws, handbooks intended to aid officers and chairpersons in performing their duties, and descriptions of officers’ duties.

Box and File Listing