Malcolm E. Pruitt
The information listed below is current as of the date the transcript was finalized.
Interview Details
Interview Sessions
Abstract of Interview
This short interview with Mac Pruitt is concerned with the Council for Chemical Research and starts with an account of the foundation meeting at Midland and its origins in Pruitt's fear that U. S. chemical technology was endangered by poor cooperation between university and industry. During the course of the interview, Pruitt describes the working of the task force he set up which eventually led to the formal establishment of the Council. The relations with the American Chemical Society are briefly reviewed, the membership and the staffing of the Council are outlined, and the meaning of the logo is explained. The conversation ends with Pruitt's assessment of the success of the Council for Chemical Research over the first decade of its existence.
Education
| Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Abilene Christian University | BS | Chemistry |
Professional Experience
Hamilton County Public School
Clyde Independent Schools
Dow Chemical Company
Council for Chemical Research
Honors
| Year(s) | Award |
|---|---|
| 1972 | Alumni Citation, Abilene Christian University |
| 1973 | Honorary Doctor of Science, Abilene Christian University |
| 1978 | Industrial Research Institute Medal |
| 1981 | Society of Research Adminstrators Award |
| 1982 | Commercial Development Association Award |
| 1983 | Outstanding Alumnus, Abilene Christian University |
| 1985 | First Recipient of Mac Pruitt Award, Council for Chemical Research |
| 1987 | Earle Barnes Award, American Chemical Society |
About the Interviewer
James J. Bohning was professor emeritus of chemistry at Wilkes University, where he had been a faculty member from 1959 to 1990. He served there as chemistry department chair from 1970 to 1986 and environmental science department chair from 1987 to 1990. Bohning was chair of the American Chemical Society’s Division of the History of Chemistry in 1986; he received the division’s Outstanding Paper Award in 1989 and presented more than forty papers at national meetings of the society. Bohning was on the advisory committee of the society’s National Historic Chemical Landmarks Program from its inception in 1992 through 2001 and is currently a consultant to the committee. He developed the oral history program of the Chemical Heritage Foundation, and he was CHF’s director of oral history from 1990 to 1995. From 1995 to 1998, Bohning was a science writer for the News Service group of the American Chemical Society. In May 2005, he received the Joseph Priestley Service Award from the Susquehanna Valley Section of the American Chemical Society. Bohning passed away in September 2011.