Letters (Page 2)

Letters (Page 2) McGill University

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ALUMNI QUARTERLY - winter 2008
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Home > McGill News > 2001 > Spring 2001 > Letters > Letters (Page 2)

Unknown inventor

Photo William Chalmers

Your winter cover story "Can University Research Pay Off?" triggered a fond memory of my two years as an editor on the McGill Daily (1975-76). I was writing some sort of satirical article and I wanted to use the word "plexiglass."

As an American struggling a bit against culture shock, however, I was doubtful that Canadian students would be familiar with a term I assumed to be American, and so I invented a more self-explanatory word "plastiglass." Luckily, my editor (also an American) questioned it and restored the word "plexiglass." Years later, it was the McGill News that taught me that plexiglass was invented at McGill by William Chalmers.

Charlie Clark, BA'76
via e-mail

Ed. note: According to an earlier McGill News article ("Reclaiming a long lost hero," by Hugh Wilson, Summer'87), William Chalmers was little known even by those who followed him at McGill's chemistry department. As a graduate student of Professor George Whitby and the recipient of a National Research Council (NRC) scholarship, Chalmers conducted pioneering research in polymer chemistry (the joining together of organic compounds to make new substances). One of his discoveries was the tough substance known as Plexiglas (like Kleenex, the trademark name became a general term.) Though it was little used until WWII, Chalmers immediately saw the material's commercial potential and pushed for a patent, which was negotiated by the NRC.

He went on to work with Nobel Prize-winning polymer scientist Herman Staudinger in Germany, then returned home to Canada in the mid-1930s, setting up a chemical business with a partner in B.C. McGill, not much interested in Chalmers's work at the time of his discovery, eventually established one of the world's finest polymer chemistry departments. Chalmers was invited to visit the department in 1987, when, he said, he was "treated royally."

Maroon nostalgia

Photo

Your Summer 2000 issue included a book review of The Montreal Maroons, by William Brown, BSc'67. Your reviewer criticized it as a "less-than-easy read for the average hockey fan," but that depends on what generation you belong to. As an 8- to 12-year-old boy practically living on skates all winter, I idolized the Maroons just from radio, newspapers, and the one game a year I was able to attend. Brown's book was a wonderful way to re-live those fun days.

The book reprints a poem submitted anonymously to the Montreal Herald, reciting the glories of the Maroons and especially of their top line of Smith-Ward-Northcott. It was written by my father, an immigrant from England who never skated but loved hockey. He wrote the poem for the fun of it, and insisted that his name not be published. Many years later, after I had graduated from McGill, my father went to the evening division of what was then Sir George Williams College to earn a BCom, then took evening and Saturday classes at McGill for his MA. He had an office job at the Sun Life, and taught first-year economics at Sir George for many years.

The Maroons book will in fact be passed on to younger generations for their education in hockey -- first to my son, who became a far better player than I was (aided by his father's coaching, no doubt!), then to his son who may end up being better than either of us if he isn't over-coached by his family.

Norman Halford, BA'45

Darien, Conn.

Ed note: Norman Halford wrote to us again after contacting the author. He discovered that we had mixed up our William Browns.

The author of The Montreal Maroons is in fact William Brown, BA'81. Nor is this his first successful book about sports. In 1996, journalist and baseball enthusiast Brown published Baseball's Fabulous Montreal Royals, a highly acclaimed book about the Brooklyn Dodgers' farm team. The legendary Jackie Robinson broke baseball's colour bar as a Montreal Royal.

Who's who

Photo

We were delighted to see the photograph on page 36 of the last issue showing the Principal and his wife Phyllis at our home in Essex. I was, however, disappointed that you did not list all the guests as they included two U.K. university chancellors, which made the occasion very special.

It may also be of interest that from 1763-94 our house was the home of Dr. Daniel Sutton, the great inoculator against smallpox. His achievement is well recorded in The Speckled Monster by John Smith, the Essex Archivist.

My wife and I look forward to visiting McGill in the fall.

Julian Royle
Ingatestone, Essex

Ed note: We are happy to provide what space problems forced us to cut last time. From the left: Keith Shelley, Julian Royle, Sarah Royle, Sir Alex Jarratt (Birmingham University), Phyllis Shapiro, Dr. Bernard Shapiro, Lucinda Kitchin, Coordinator of the McGill U.K. Alumni Association, Dame Janet Baker (York University), Michael Kitchin, Lady Jarratt. Anyone puzzled by the smallpox reference should know that it refers to an Epilogue piece (on how smallpox stopped an American invasion of Canada) contributed by Dr. Mark Clarfield to our Fall'00 issue.

(see next letter)

Un lecteur curieux

J'ai lu avec intérêt l'article du Dr Mark Clarfield dans l'exemplaire d'automne de McGill News. Il cite un article de Annals of Internal Medicine, mais sans donner la référence exacte. Une brève recherche ne m'a pas permis de retracer l'article en question. Serait-il possible de savoir la référence précise? Merci.

Charles Godue, MSc'87
par courriel

Note : L'article du Dr Clarfield a manifestement suscité un vif intérêt. Vous pouvez consulter l'article dont il a fait mention en vous rendant sur le site Internet du Annals of Internal Medicine.

Left out

The McGill Women's Alumnae Association and the McGill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women would like to bring to your attention the fact that they are the sponsors of the annual Muriel Roscoe Lecture. Unfortunately, nowhere in the article "Capping off Centennial Celebrations" which appeared in the Winter 2000/01 edition of the McGill News does it mention our name.

In fact, it was our joint committee of the MWAA and the MCRTW which organized the event and decided to invite Lieutenant Governor Lise Thibeault. It was mutually agreed that it would be a fitting close to RVC's 100th anniversary celebration. Your readers might also be interested to know that the Muriel Roscoe Lecture series was started in 1989 as part of the Women's Alumnae Association's 100th anniversary activities.

Celia Kaplow, BA'66,
President, McGill Women's Alumnae Association

Shree Mulay, MSc'66, PhD'69
Director, McGill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women

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