John H. Beynon
The information listed below is current as of the date the transcript was finalized.
Interview Details
Interview Sessions
Abstract of Interview
John H. Beynon was born in Ystalyfera, Wales, the older of two sons whose parents ended their education at secondary school. Beynon grew up in a coal mining town and attended a local university, the University of Wales at Swansea (Swansea University), during the early years of the Second World War. Graduating with a degree in physics, Beynon decided that the pursuit of a PhD was a waste of time and money and he committed himself fully to wartime work, including the development of weapons system used to track targets while a weapon was in motion. He spent much of his career in industry, principally working at the Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), a British chemical company. Upon his arrival at ICI, Beynon's supervisor, A. J. Hailwood, immediately gave Beynon the task of building a mass spectrometer, a device with which he had no conceptual underpinnings. Creating this technology, however, proved to be pivotal in Beynon's career. Even without a PhD Beynon made himself and his work central to the development of mass spectrometry as a field of study and as a tool of chemical analysis and knowledge. Uncertain about remaining in industry his entire life, Beynon spent time at Purdue University, Swansea University, and the University of Essex. Being outside of industry allowed Beynon the opportunity to publish his research for the wider scientific community, ultimately contributing over 350 articles and other publications to the annals of science. He founded the Mass Spectrometry Unit at Swansea University, and was also a founding member of both the British Mass Spectrometry Society and the American Society of Mass Spectrometry. All through his long career Beynon trained a number of students (one of whom is Gareth Brenton; Brenton's reflections on his mentor are recorded in the appendix to this transcript) and did much to advance the field of mass spectroscopy. The interview concludes with Beynon's reflections on the politics surrounding the formation of an international mass spectroscopy committee. Throughout the interview Beynon details many of the scientific discoveries that came of out mass spec research, as well as a number of the refinements and improvements to mass spec technology.
Education
Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
---|---|---|---|
1943 | Swansea University | BS | Physics |
Professional Experience
Fighting Vehicles Research Establishment
Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd.
University of Minnesota
Swansea University
Purdue University
University of Essex
Jozef Stefan Institut
Honors
Year(s) | Award |
---|---|
1960 | Founder Chairman British Mass Spectrometry Society |
1967 | Founder Member American Society for Mass Spectrometry |
1973 | Sigma Xi Research Award, Purdue University |
1979 | Marice F. Hasler Award |
1980 | Jozef Stefan Medal |
1981 | Medal of the Serbian Chemical Society |
1984 | Techmart Trophy of the British Technology Group |
1984 | Jan Marc Marci Medal, Czechoslovak Spectroscopic Society |
1985 | Gold Medal, International Mass Spectrometry Society |
1985 to 1986 | President, Association for Science Education, Wales |
1986 to 1990 | Chairman, Schools Curriculum Development Committee, Wales |
1987 | Frank H. Field and Joe L. Franklin Award for Outstanding Work in Mass Spectrometry, American Chemical Society |
1988 | Gold Medal, British Mass Spectrometry Society |
1990 | Gold Medal, Italian Mass Spectrometry Society |
1993 | Founder President, European Mass Spectrometry Society |
Table of Contents
Overview in the British Society of Mass Spec. Journal.
Speaking Welsh. The War Work. Schooling. Military Service. Decision not to attend graduate school. Civil Service. How a physicist wound up among chemists. Life during the war.
Learning what mass spec was. Details of the first build. Budgeting. Problems with the first mass spec. How it was used. Publishing. Difficulties gaining acceptance. Possible improvements. Metropolitan Vickers. International Education. Crossroads of physics and chemistry. Mess spec in manufacturing.
Alternating between ICI and Purdue. Reluctance to break ties with United Kingdom. Royal Society job. Returning to Swansea. Nine books in total. Published prolifically short time in academia. Applications of his research in theory. Accurate mass theories. Publication sales figure.
Industrial consultation for VG. How he was compensated. Attending conferences. Excited developments he recalls. Playing the washboard at a conference. Published images. ASTM meetings. A paper out every ten days. Derivative mass spectrometry and other advancements. What has and hasn't been followed up on.
Question about when the British Mass Spectrometry Society actually started. Slipping recollections. International meetings. How politics affects meeting plans. Royal Society Fellowship. Presenting a paper in Welsh.
Beynon's Royal Society post and the University College of Swansea. Life as Beynon's second post doc. IKES and MIKES. Publication schedule. Life in the Beynon lab. Instruments in the lab. Life in Wales. Rugby clubs.
About the Interviewer
Michael A. Grayson is a member of the Mass Spectrometry Research Resource at Washington University in St. Louis. He received his BS degree in physics from St. Louis University in 1963 and his MS in physics from the University of Missouri at Rolla in 1965. He is the author of over 45 papers in the scientific literature. Before joining the Research Resource, he was a staff scientist at McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratory. While completing his undergraduate and graduate education, he worked at Monsanto Company in St. Louis, where he learned the art and science of mass spectrometry. Grayson is a member of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS), and has served many different positions within that organization. He has served on the Board of Trustees of CHF and is currently a member of CHF's Heritage Council. He currently pursues his interest in the history of mass spectrometry by recording oral histories, assisting in the collection of papers, and researching the early history of the field.