Alumni Updates

In 1960, I transferred to UW as a junior planning to major in chemical engineering. Part way through my first semester I discovered chemical engineering was not my thing, though I still wanted to major in chemistry. It was also possible I would not earn a C average which meant I could not transfer between Colleges. This was a time when some professors told entering freshman, look at the person on each side of you because only one of you will graduate. With a great amount of courage that semester I knocked on the door of professor C. Harvey Sorum, Chemistry Department head and world-renowned scientist. As one of about 20,000 students I was not too optimistic on the outcome. Upon hearing my humble plea (as I remember it) Professor Sorum said, “if you really want to major in chemistry, I will see that you will be able to transfer”. I did get better than a C average so transferring was not an issue but Professor Sorem’s encouragement reduced a lot of stress and ultimately I graduated with a degree in chemistry. Many years later, I gave a copy of my prized chemistry book, authored by Sorum, to his grandson and also found out Sorum was my mother-in-law’s quiz instructor and he gave my wife ice skating
lessons. Small world.

Daniel Bloch, Ph.D

My name is Linda Smith (Whatley) Wilson. I was a graduate student in chemistry, studying under Robert C. West from 1957-1962, and received the Ph.D. in February, 1962. I am always grateful for the issues of Badger Chemist that I receive periodically. In the most recent issue, on page 16, is an article by Anthony Millevolte & Matthias Driess about Robert C. West, on his 90th birthday. The reference in the article is a wonderful tribute to Bob West. I was extraordinarily lucky to be accepted as one of his Ph.D. group during my graduate work from 1957-1962. Having Bob as my major professor was a wonderful experience. While Bob sustained his office for teaching and research as an active faculty member at UW-Madison, he and his staff maintained connections with all of his graduate students and postdocs for many years. I want to express again my deep appreciation for all that his support and confidence has enabled me to do professionally and personally.

Sincerely,
Linda S. Wilson, Ph.D.

In the fall of 1946, my wife Eileen and I moved to Madison, where I enrolled in the organic Chemistry Department of the University Graduate School. I selected Dr. William Johnson to be my major professor. He assigned me a problem that I would need to solve in order to obtain a Ph.D. degree. As a World War II veteran, I received $90 a month, under the G.I. Bill. Eileen got a job in the office of the Forest Products Laboratory and was paid $30 a week. We lived in a trailer, for which we paid $25 a month. The trailer had no running water, so we had to walk 50 feed to the bath house, where there were showers, toilets, and running water. The trailer was equipped with an ice box, a two burner hot plate, and an oil burning stove. We did not mind these inconveniences, as we were deeply in love, having been married a year earlier. In February of 1949, our son Kenny was born. In June of that year, I had solved my research problem, so I received my Ph.D. degree. Those days are now long gone, but the good memories will forever linger on.