The Notre Dame Alumnus JAMES E
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The Archives of The University of Notre Dame 607 Hesburgh Library Notre Dame, IN 46556 574-631-6448 [email protected] Notre Dame Archives: Alumnus THE NOTRE DAME LUMNUS cy: Reverend Julius Arthur Nieuwiand, C.S.C, '99 Honorary President of the Alumni Association R. I. P. nis boolt is noi to uo ^aken fyofli th© Library JUNE. 1936 Y£S! MtRE, ^U/UAT lAM [TO kGOII ^^^m AND r^^ —71 SHALL^ See this ARROW! It is bent on cutting kNOniEl through all difficulties, until it reaches its objective. .TOGO ^ABourir Sons of Notre Dame! Bend all your ener gies. Join the hundreds of men who will gather under the shadow of the Golden Dome for the Annual Retreat. Make no mistake about it, at ihe close of this outstanding Catholic function you will entone from the depths of grateful hearts the SONG of Thanksgiving: "Holy God We Praise ONTO JT Thy Name." noTR^DAmc j^ For detailed information ^ and reservations address: Rev. Patrick H. Dolan, C.S.C., '15 ^' Director of Laymen's Retreats Notre Dame, Indiana ANNUAL RaR6AT FOR UYM€N AUGUST 6^-H TO 9™ The Notre Dame Alumnus JAMES E. ARMSTRONG, 75 The magazine is published monthly during the scholastic year by the Alumni Association Meaber of die Aaeriaa of the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana. The subscription price is $2.00 EJiloT a year; the price of single copies is 25 cents. The annual alumni does of $5.00 inclnde Alnnmi CooadL a year's subscription to THE ALUMNUS. Entered as second-^ass matter January 1. WILLIAM R. DOOLEY, 76 1923, at the post oflSce at Notre Dame, Indiana, under the Act of March 3, 1879. All Member of NatX Cadiolie Managing EJUor correspondence should be addressed to The Notre Dame Alumnus, Box 81, Notre Dame, Ind. Alnmiu Federaliaii. Vol. XIV. June. 1936 No. 9 Fr. Nieuwland Dies Suddenly in Washington Heart Fails After Return From Commencement at Notre Dame Where Special Recognition Was Given His Great Career; He Had Just Become Honorary President of Association Rev. Julius Arthur Nieuwland, ifest as his heart, the true barometer Father Nieuwland was bom at C.S.C, A.B. '99, Ph.D., Sc.D., pro of his career, signalled its conclu Hansbeke, Belgium, in 1878. He fessor of chemistry, and one of the sion. came to the United States when a most brilliant alumni of the Univer The noted priest-scientist died as child, his family settling in South sity of Notre Dame, died suddenly he would have preferred. He dropped Bend. on Thursday, June 11, in the chem dead in a chemistry laboratory at After finishing high school. Father ical laboratories of Catholic Univer Catholic University. Physicians said sity, Washington, D. C. Nieuwland entered Notre Dame and death was due to coronary occlu was graduated in 1899. He then en Father Nieuwland is one of the last sion, a heart ailment. Efforts to re tered Holy Cross Seminary to study turned to Washington from Notre vive him with a pulmotor and other and was ordained a priest of the Con Dame, where his great contributions means failed. gregation of Holy Cross in 1903. to science had been recognized in Father Nieuwland had been sent several of the events of the Univer Tuesday to Holy Cross College in Eetuming to Notre Dame he sity's 92nd Commencement. Father Brookland, D.C, Washington suburb, served several years as dean of the Nieuwland stood with Hon. Francis to rest. His tireless spirit caused College of Science, retiring from that P. Garvan on the platform from him to return to his experiments, and position in 1923. which Mr. Garvan dedicated the new the effort is believed to have caused §300,000 Biology building, a tribute his death. In 1904 Father Nieuwland brought to the development of science at himself to the attention of industry Notre Dame so stimulated by the Known for his remarkable indus by his paper on "Some Beactions of achievements of Father Nieuwland. try and tirelessness of spirit and Acetylene." He contributed mate He was made honorary president of body. Father Nieuwland in a life rially to the development of this the Alumni Association of the Uni time of work at Notre Dame achieved branch of chemical science. versity, and his work was praised fay brilliant results. He was not only the presidents of the University and Notre Dame's first scientist but an In 1906 he discovered a compound the Association at the annual alumni international authority on acetylene. which was developed by the govem- banquet on June 6. To Notre Dame men the work of- Father Nieuwland in the 37 years since his graduation needs only brief summarizing. He was the embodi ment of that humility associated with the priesthood, in the face of achieve ment and honors that brought the national spotlight to him repeatedly. He was almost as great in his hobby, botany, as he was in his chosen field, acetylene chemistry. And the botan ical libraries, collections, and contri butions of the University in this field can be traced largely to his interest. Father Nieuwland is one of the last of those great individual figures in a chapter of Notre Dame's history who emerged, almost in spite of them selves, as dominant in their several fields. Working with the most mod est equipment, and extending this modesty into his results and his very manner. Father Nieuwland still commanded the attention and the praise of the world of chemistry. And the astounding significance^ of his FATHEB NIEUWLAND RECEIVES NICHOLS MEDAL contributions was just becoming man Highest Award of American Chemical Society 248 The Notre Dame Alumnus June, 1936 ment during the war into the mus In 1933 he was awarded the More- pus with tributes to his priestly and tard gas known as Lewisite. The head medal by the International personal qualities as well as to his same year he discovered the com Acetylene Association for outstand acknowledged greatness in science. ponent parts of synthetic rubber, and ing work in acetylenes, and in 1935 14 years later was able to alter the was awarded the Nichols medal, the "On behalf of His Majestj''s gov composition of the gas he had first highest honor awarded by the Amer ernment as well as on my own behalf produced so as to form an oil, ican Chemical Society. I offer to you and to your Order "divinyl acetylene," the material deepest sympathy on the death of from which the rubber is synthetized. When presented with the latter the Reverend Father Nieuwland medal. Dr. J. M. Weiss, chairman of whose untimely passing is an irrep From this he continued his work the juiy of award, pointed out that arable loss to science and to the with chemists of the Du Pont Com Father Nieuwland at the risk of his Church as well as to all who had the pany and produced a satisfactory own life had experimented with acet privilege of knowing him and of ap synthetic rubber which, it is believed, ylene reactions, research shunned by preciating his noble character. The will make the United States indepen most investigators because of the Belgian Ambassador." dent of foreign supplies. danger of explosion—^until he so con Completion of Father Nieuwland's trolled those reactions that they "Gravely distressed to hear sad studies was announced in 1931. In could be studied in genei-al labora- news of Father Nieuwland's death. recent years his discovery has been toiy work with comparative safety. He was a most distinguished chemist produced under the trade name of and beloved person. .A.11 his friends Duprene. Just last May Father Nieuwland mourn for him.—James B. Conant." Honors Rest Lightly was awarded the Mendel medal by (President of Har\'ard University) Villanova College for the advance At the Commencement exercises, ment of science. "Just received word of your great when Father Nieuwland was elected loss. His death is also an irreplace honorary president of the alumni a^- Father Nieuwland also held a high able loss to chemistry and to the sociation, the Rev. John F. O'Hai-a, position among the nation's botanists. country . Francis P. Garvan." C.S.C, president of Notre Dame, He added several hundred specimens praised the scientist and announced to the Notre Dame Herbaria, travel "Deeply shocked and disti'essed his research and development of syn ing about the countrj'side in spare Father Nieuwland's death. Our coun thetic rubber had saved the rubber moments on an old bicycle and wear try has lost a loyal and useful citi industrj' $350,000,000 annually. ing old boots. He founded the Amer zen, the science of chemistry one of Father O'Hara based this figure on ican Midland Naturalist published at its most illustrious figures and I a computation of the reduction in Notre Dame, in 1909. A lover of personally a warm friend whom I al price of rubber made since Father books, he aided greatly in building ways held in high esteem and affec Nieuwland's discovery. up the science libraries at Notre tionate regard. Sincerest condol Dame. Father Nieuwland never profited ences.—Dr. Marston T. Bogert." (Co one cent on his discovery. He was Research, hard digging, was his lumbia University) bound by the vow of povertj' of the recipe for achievement in any field. Congregation of Holy Cross. Friends said of him that he had that "Science and Catholic science in Father Nieuwland was made a notable mark of genius—an infinite particular, has sustained a terrible doctor of philosophy by Catholic capacity for taking pains.