The Francis P. Garvan - John M. Olin Medal (original) (raw)

The Garvan-Olin Medal was established in 1936 as an American Chemical Society award. Set up through funding by Mr. Francis P. Garvan, the medal is awarded in recognition of significant achievements by women chemists in America. It consists of an inscribed gold medal, a replica of the medal, and an honorarium. An allowance is also provided for traveling expenses to the Award presentation.

In 1984 the Olin Corporation assumed sponsorship of the Award.

The Garvan-Olin Medal was designed to symbolize civilization's dependence on chemistry. Its hexagonal shape, the "benzene ring," denotes a basic structure in organic chemistry.

The obverse of the medal bears a flame and a lightning bolt, the symbols of both electricity and communication. The reverse side carries a chemist's caldron bearing the alchemical symbols for earth, water, fire, and air. Emerging from the caldron are the stacks of a factory representing industry, the towering skyscrapers of a community representing culture and progress, and the caduceus of Hermes representing transportation, medicine, and peace.

The medal was designed by Margaret Christian Grigor while she was a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Francis Patrick Garvan

The Garvan-Olin Medal is named for Francis P. Garvan, President of the Chemical Foundation from 1919-1937. A personal gift from Mr. Garvan was used to establish a fund, administered by the Chemical Foundation, to provide an award to be conferred periodically on an outstanding woman in the field of chemistry. Mabel Grady Garvan, Francis Garvan's wife, encouraged the award, and as recently as 1967 she took a lively interest in its recipients.

W.R. Grace sponsored the award from 1979 until 1984 when Olin Corporation, the current sponsor, assumed responsibility. Effective with the 1993 presentation, the award was renamed the Francis P. Garvan - John M. Olin Medal to commemorate John M. Olin's contributions to chemistry and in recognition of Olin Corporation's efforts to provide long-term funding for this award.

Francis Patrick Garvan was born on June 13, 1875, in East Hartford, Connecticut. He was an 1897 graduate of Yale University and received his LL.D. from New York Law School in 1899. After a distinguished law career, he was appointed President of the Chemical Foundation by Woodrow Wilson and served as its head from 1919 until his death in 1937. The Foundation derived an income of $8.6 million from scientific research and education. No shareholder received dividends and the chief officers worked without salary.

Through funds from the Chemical Foundation, Garvan supported the Journal of Chemical Education for its first nine years. The microbiological journal, Stain Technology, was originally conceived by Mr. Garvan and was underwritten in its early years by the Chemical Foundation. He also supported the Commission on the Standardization of Biological Stains, organized in the early twenties.

While the Chemical Foundation supplied over $100,000 to the Commission, it is thought that many of the funds may have come from personal contributions made by Mr. Garvan.

The American Chemical Society's Prize Essay Contest was financed for seven years by Francis P. Garvan and his wife as a memorial to their daughter. The Garvans gave an estimated $1 million to finance the contest and to help the Chemical Foundation provide chemical references to libraries throughout the nation.

Mr. Garvan was a recipient of many honors. Yale, Fordham, Trinity, and Notre Dame awarded him honorary degrees. In 1929 he received the Priestley Medal from the American Chemical Society. To date, he is the only layman in the history of the Society to receive this award.

John Merrill Olin

John Merrill Olin was born on November 10, 1892, in Alton, Illinois. Upon graduating from Cornell University with a B.S. degree in chemistry, he started his career in 1913 as a chemical engineer for the Western Cartridge Company, a predecessor of Olin Industries, Inc. He became President of Olin Industries in 1944 and upon merger of the company with Mathieson Chemical Corporation in 1954 became Chairman of the Board of the new corporation, named Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation. Subsequently the name was shortened to Olin Corporation. Mr. Olin retired as Chairman of the Board in 1957 to become Chairman of the Executive Committee, a position he held until he was elected Honorary Chairman of the Board in 1963. He died September 8, 1982.

Mr. Olin was an inventor or co-inventor of 24 United States patents in the field of arms and ammunition manufacture and design and was responsible for numerous developments in ballistics.

In addition to his industrial career, Mr. Olin was a conservationist, philanthropist and educator. He was also a breeder of saddle and race horses as well as a trainer and breeder of champion Labrador retrievers. A long-time supporter of wildlife conservation, Mr. Olin was widely recognized as one of the country's most active conservationists and led the effort to save the Atlantic salmon.

Mr. Olin was a Trustee Emeritus of Cornell University and of Johns Hopkins University, a Life Trustee of Washington University, St. Louis, and an Honorary Director of The American Museum of Natural History. He was named the Charles F. Kettering Award recipient for 1968 by the George Washington University PTC Research Institute. He received the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur of France and the Grand Ufficiale-Ordine al Merito della Republica Italiana.

Nomination for Awards

Any individual (except a member of the Award Committee) may submit in any given year one nomination or supporting letter for the Garvan - Olin Medal. This proposal must be accompanied by a biographical sketch of the nominee (including date of birth), a list of publications and patents, specific identification of the work on which the nomination is based, and an evaluation and appraisal of the nominee's accomplishments, particularly the work to be recognized by the proposed award. If the proposed nominee is eligible for any of the other American Chemical Society awards, the reason(s) for selection of the Garvan - Olin Award should be clearly stated.

The evaluation and appraisal of the nominee's accomplishments provide an opportunity to spotlight contributions of particular significance to theory or practice and to show how these have been applied. An analysis of patents is especially valuable. If the nominee is not the sole author of publications listed or evaluated, the contribution of the nominee should be specified.

Seconding letters are not necessary. Only those containing factual information about the candidate not provided in the nominating document will be transmitted to the selection committee. In no instance may more than two such supporting letters be included as part of the nomination. In nominations by petition, the person whose signature is first will be considered as the nominator and the endorsements that follow will be eliminated.

Although not required, reprints and/or preprints may be included if their subject matter is restricted to work on which the nomination is primarily based. The number of reprints and/or preprints may not exceed five titles. Reprints cannot be returned.

In general, text or reference books may not be included as part of a nominating document. However, a publisher's descriptive brochure, an abstract or pertinent but brief extract, and/or reviews of books may be included.

Renomination of candidates is encouraged. Nominating documents are retained in ACS files for three years. However, nominations are not extended automatically from year to year. A formal letter of renomination must be submitted by the sponsor each year prior to the February 1 deadline if the candidate is to be reconsidered.

Six copies of the complete nominating document (including reprints or other supplementary material), lettersize and unbound, must be furnished for distribution to the members of the Award Committee. The nomination and its accompanying materials must be postmarked no later than midnight, February 1. Address nominations to: Awards Program, American Chemical Society, 1155 16th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036.