Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter.
Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
OCR for page 275
WILLIAM JOSEPH SPARKS
1905-1976
BY FREDERIC A. L. HOLLOWAY
WILLIAM J. SPARKS, retired Scienctific Advisor of the Exxon
Research and Engineering Company, died on October 23, 1976, of
heart failure, at his home in Coral Gables, Florida. Known and
admired throughout the scientific world for his lifetime of dedi-
cated service to his profession, he is particularly remembered for
his contributions to the development of butyl rubber.
Dr. Sparks was born on February 26, 1905, in Wilkinson, In-
diana, and his early life was shared between farmwork and school-
work. When he finished high school, he was told he could have a
car and work on the farm or go to college. He chose college and
received a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction from Indiana
University in 1926 and a Master of Arts degree in 1929. This was
followed by a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Illinois
in 1936. Later in his career, he completed the Program for Man-
agement Development offered by Harvard's Graduate School of
Business Administration.
Dr. Sparks was initially employed as a chemist by the Sherwin-
Williams Co. After going back to school for his Master's degree, he
worked for E.I. duPont de Nemours & Co. in Niagara Falls, New
York, from 1929 to 1934. In 1936, he joined the Standard Oil
Development Company, now Exxon Research and Engineering
Company, as a research chemist at Linden, New Jersey. Except for
a brief tour as Principal Chemist with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture in Peoria, Illinois (1939-40), the rest of his career was
275
OCR for page 276
spent with Exxon. He was appointed Director of the Chemica]
Research Division in 1946 and served in that capacity until 1957. At
that time the post of Scientific Advisor, the Company's highest
technical position, was created, and Dr. Sparks was selected to fill it.
He continued in this capacity until his retirement, in 1967.
Dr. Sparks received many honors for his professional ac-
complishments. These include the Gold Medal of the American
Institute of Chemists (1954), the Distinguished Alumni Service
Award of Indiana University (1956), the Charles Goodyear Medal
of the American Chemical Society (1963), the Perkin Medal of the
American Section of the Society of Chemical Industry (1964), and
the highest award in American chemistry, the Priestly Medal of the
American Chemical Society (1965~. He was elected to the National
Academy of Engineering in 1967. He was awarded honorary
doctoral degrees by Indiana University and by Michigan
Technological University.
A very active Member of the American Chemical Society, Sparks
served it in many capacities, including as a Member of its Board of
Directors, as a Member of the Advisory Boards for Advances in
Chemistry Series and the Petroleum Research Fund, and as Presi-
dent in 1966. He has served as National Chairman of the Scientific
Research Society of America, as Chairman of both the National
Research Council's Division of Chemistry and Chemical Technol-
ogy and the Armed Forces Chemical Association's Committee on
Chemical and Biological Warfare. He was an active Member of the
National Academy of Engineering's Project Committee, as well as
the National Research Council's Division of Engineering and In-
dustrial Research and the Office of International Relations. He has
been active as an advisor to the Department of Agriculture and the
Department of State.
From an Indiana farm boy, Sparks rose to become a world
authority on both rubber and petroleum chemistry. Although
always proud to be referred to as a chemist, he preferred to be
known as an inventor. Holder of 145 patents, he never relin-
quished his desire to innovate, even after retirement. His love for
the game of golf and his knowledge of elastomers resulted, in the
several years just prior to his death, in five U.S. and seven foreign
276
OCR for page 277
patents for improved grips for golf clubs! A firm believer that good
science should benefit the world in which we live, he contended
that "Science without purpose is an art without responsibility."
In the mid-1960's Dr. Sparks was concerned that the education
of the coming scientific generation did not include an awakening of
social consciousness. "The scientific profession has become much
larger than medicine, law or the clergy. Yet many young scientists
are not taught by their professors to feel an obligation to society in
their work." He believed that a heavy emphasis on the humanities is
necessary to produce a truly sound scientist. To quote again, "If he
fa scientist] knows the world he lives in, he will know how to serve
it." His interests in chemical education led him to serve on the
Chemical Advisory Committee of Rutgers University and on the
Science Development Council of Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute.
William Sparks was a leader in attempting to bring the knowl-
edge and opinions of the country's chemists to bear on national
problems. As President of the American Chemical Society, he
pushed the then newly formed Committee on Chemistry and
Public Affairs to bring such views to the Government's attention.
A very kind and concerned man, he will be especially remem-
bered and revered by the many younger associates whose lives he
influenced.
277
OCR for page 278
Representative terms from entire chapter:
arts degree
a:: :: :: ~ ::: ~
~ ~ ~ ~ :~: ~~ ~~:~< Sat ! ~~ EM ~
~:~:~!~::~:~:~:ss 3.
S ~ :S ~~ USE ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ S
: ~ ~ ~~:~:~S~ SE: ~
~ a: ~ ~ : ~ ~~ ~~ is: !~ ~~:S~.~s<~ ~ ~~
~ ~ ~ ~~ ~~i~l
S ~ {:: ad:: ~ ::: :: :: a: ~
: ~ Z:~ a: >::? ::: :: :: ~ :
S:}S.:S :SS :S:~::: :
:~E ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~:~ ~ IS a: ~ S :: I:
:~:~!~:~ ~ ~~:~S~.~ ~:~:~ ~~:~:s
~ I ~~ ~~ ~ ::: ~~ 'DISH:
I: ~~ SASSY ~~ S ~ S ~ ~~'~S:Sl,::: ~::.S:S' :S: ma ~:~:~SSSS ::S'
: ~~:S US ~ ~~ ~# ~ :' ~Sl~:~ Eggs a': ~~/ so USE Pals US DISC ~ at,- . :.
.. - .. :::.~$~:i'S? S. ... ISIS ~::~ ~Si:~Slv ~S~lS:~S ~ So, ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~S~S~S ~~ ~~ ~~ a:
:: .
:~>S: ~:~ ~ ~:~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - 5 ~ ~ ~
AS ~~ ~ a: ~~::S S :~ ~ ~ :l'~
