Oral history interview with Alfred R. Bader
- 1987-Jul-31
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Alfred Bader begins this interview with a discussion of his early years in Vienna, including his family background and Gymnasium education. This is followed by additional education in England, living in Canada as a refugee, and his undergraduate education at Queen's University. Bader then describes his graduate education with Louis F. Fieser at Harvard, and discusses the faculty and friends during his tenure there. The interview continues with Bader's move to Milwaukee, his research with PPG, and the origin and growth of the Aldrich Chemical Company, including the merger with Sigma Chemical Company and the decision to go public. The interview concludes with Bader's comments on his art collection and family matters.
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About the Interviewer
Arnold Thackray founded the Chemical Heritage Foundation and served the organization as president for 25 years. He is currently CHF’s chancellor. Thackray received MA and PhD degrees in history of science from Cambridge University. He has held appointments at Cambridge, Oxford University, and Harvard University, the Institute for Advanced Study, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1983 Thackray received the Dexter Award from the American Chemical Society for outstanding contributions to the history of chemistry. He served for more than a quarter century on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was the founding chairman of the Department of History and Sociology of Science and is currently the Joseph Priestley Professor Emeritus.
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| Oral history number | 0074 |
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Interviewee biographical information
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Education
| Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Brighton College of Technology | ||
| 1945 | Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.) | BSc | Engineering Chemistry |
| 1946 | Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.) | BA | History |
| 1947 | Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.) | MS | Chemistry |
| 1949 | Harvard University | PhD | Organic Chemistry |
Professional Experience
Murphy Paint Company
- 1943 to 1947 Chemist
Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company
- 1950 to 1954 Research Chemist and Organic Group Leader
Aldrich Chemical Company
- 1951 Co-founder
- 1954 to 1955 Chief Chemist
- 1955 to 1975 President
Sigma-Aldrich Corporation
- 1975 to 1980 President
- 1980 to 1988 Chairman
Honors
| Year(s) | Award |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Honorary ScD degree, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee |
| 1983 | Engineer-of-the-Year Award, Engineers and Scientists of Milwaukee, Inc. |
| 1984 | Honorary ScD degree, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| 1984 | Honorary ScD degree, Purdue University |
| 1986 | Honorary LLD degree, Queen's University |
| 2009 | Pittcon Heritage Award, Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy and the Chemical Heritage Foundation |
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The published version of the transcript may diverge from the interview audio due to edits to the transcript made by staff of the Center for Oral History, often at the request of the interviewee, during the transcript review process.