October 8, 1999

Loyola to honor chemistry alumnus

The Gregory R. Choppin Chemistry Wing will be formally dedicated Friday, October 15, 1999, at 2 p.m during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the newly-renovated chemistry facilities in Monroe Hall. Choppin, the honoree, and Tom Benson, the generous donor who made this honor possible, will be on campus to celebrate the event. A lecture on the "History of Radioactivity," presented by Choppin, will follow in Nunemaker Auditorium.

Choppin, a 1949 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, has enjoyed a fascinating career as a chemist, particularly during the peak years of the cold war. In 1955, Choppin was co-discoverer of chemical element 101, named Mendelevium in honor of Dmitri Mendelev, the creator of the periodic table of the elements. For an American chemist to name an element for a Russian scientist was a bold gesture in the mid-1950s.

Choppin has been awarded two Fulbright grants, a Swedish Research Council Grant, and has been named a Danforth Associate by the Danforth Foundation. He is the recipient of an honorary doctor of science degree from Loyola and an honorary doctor of technology degree from Chalmers University at Goteborg, Sweden. He also has received awards from the American Chemical Society, the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung, the American Nuclear Society, the Florida Academy of Sciences, and the American Institute of Chemists.

Following his graduation from Loyola, Choppin earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. Presently, he is a professor of chemistry at Florida State University at Tallahassee, Florida, where he has taught since 1963. In 1967, Choppin was named the R.O. Lawton Distinguished Professor at FSU, a chair he holds to this day.

Maria Magolske, A'93, Coordinator of Stewardship and Donor Relations