Fred M. Garland Lecture and Awards

Past Lectures

• 1981 - William H. Glaze, The University of Texas at Dallas, "Applications of Chemistry in the Study of Drinking Water Supplies"
• 1982 - Larry Kevan, The University of Houston, "Chemical Applications of Electron Spin Echoes"
• 1983 - Allen J. Bard, The University of Texas at Austin, "Solar Energy Conversion through Photochemistry at Semiconductors"
• 1984 - Andrew L. Ternay, Jr., The University of Texas at Arlington, "A Role for the Organic Chemist in Modern Chemistry–the Treatment of Mental Illness with Chemicals"
• 1985 - Ralph A. Zingaro, Texas A&M University, "Selenium–A Schizophrenic Element"
• 1986 - Henry J. Shine, Texas Tech University, "Learning How Molecules React by Using Heavy Atoms"
• 1987 - W. Carl Lineberger, Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA), The University of Colorado, "Laser Probes of the Structure of Anions"
• 1988 - J. J. Lagowski, The University of Texas at Austin, "The Future of Chemical Education"
• 1989 - Raymond B. Seymour, University of Southern Mississippi, "Modern Polymer Science"
• 1990 - Kurt J. Irgolic, University of Graz, Austria, "Arsenic in the Environment"
• 1991 - Gerald L. Robbins, Mobay Corporation, "The Chemist’s Role in Industry"
• 1992 - Julia E. Lever, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, "How Molecules Cross Cell Membranes"
• 1993 - Ronald Macfarlane, Texas A&M University, "Benchtop Chemistry Induced by Nuclear Fission"
• 1994 - Richard E. Smalley, Rice University, "Buckyballs and the New Carbon-Based Nanotechnology"
• 1995 - O. Stanley Fruchey, Hoechst-Celanese Corporation, "Polymers to Pharmaceuticals to Polymers, A Story of Serendipity and Technical Success"
• 1996 - Darleane C. Hoffman, University of California, Berkeley, "One-Atom-At-A-Time Chemistry of the Heaviest Elements"
• 1997 - Mario J. Molina, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: A Global Problem"
• 1998 - Jacqueline K. Barton, California Institute of Technology, "Travels Along the DNA Helix"
• 1999 - J. Roger Hirl, President and CEO of Occidental Chemical, "Chemicals 2000: Bringing on the Future"
• 2000 - Neil Bartlett, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley, "Noble Gas Chemistry"
• 2001 - Daryle H. Busch, Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor, University of Kansas, 2000 President of the American Chemical Society, "Extreme Ligands for Extreme Purposes"
• 2002 - Peter J. Stang, University of Utah, "Nanoscale Molecular Architecture:  Design and Self-assembly of Metallacyclic Polygons and Polyhedra via Coordination"
• 2003 - John Conkling, Former Executive Director of the American Pyrotechnics Association, "Things That Go 'Boom" in the Night"
• 2004 - Carl E. Wieman, Joint Institute of Laboratory Astrophysics, University of Colorado, Nobel Prize in Physics, 2001, "Bose-Einstein Condensate:  Quantum Weirdness at Lowest Temperature in the Universe"
• 2005 - John M. White, Welch Professor of Chemistry, the University of Texas at Austin, "Chemical Catalysis:  Controlling Chemical Reactions for a Secure Energy Future"
• 2006 - David H. Russell, Texas A&M University, "Proteomics: The Driving Force for Developmental Mass Spectrometry"
• 2007 - Geri Richmond, University of Oregon, "Going Nonlinear to Understand the Molecular Properties of Water Surfaces that Underlie Important Environmental Process"
• 2008 - Touradj Solouki, The University of Maine, " Emerging Biological and X-omic Research"
• 2009 - John Gladysz, Texas A&M University, "Alkene Metathesis in Metal Coordination Spheres: The Quest for Molecular Gyroscope"
• 2010 - Sara Kerrigan, Sam Houston State University, "Human Performance Toxicology: Drugs and Driving"
• 2011 - Troy Wood, University at Buffalo , "Biological Mass Spectrometry in the Next Generation: From Miniaturization to the Search for Biomarkers"
• 2012 - Zhong Lin Wang, Georgia Institute of Technology, "Nanogenerators for Self-Power Systems & Piezotronics for Active Flexible electronics"
• 2013 - Edward M. Marcotte, University of Texas at Austin, "Deaf plants and bleeding yeast: Evolution,the proteome,and human disease"
• 2014 - Brian D. McCabe, Columbia University NY,NY, "Exploiting Drosophila to Explore the Development & Disease of Motor Circuits' Driving"
• 2015 - Jonathan L. Sessler, University of Texas at Austin, "Expanded Porphyrins Based on Pyrrole, Pyridine and Furan. "
• 2016 - Marcus Weck, New York University, "Directed Assembly and Crystallization of Colloids"
• 2017 - K.C. Nicolaou, Rice University, "The Art and Science of Organic Synthesis and Its Impact on Science and Society"
• 2018 - Michael A. Reynolds, Principal Production Chemist Shell in Houston, “A Chemist’s Role in the Production of Liquid-Rich Shales and Unconventional Gas"
• 2019 - Maurice Brookhart, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Chemistry University of North Carolina, “Invention of Catalysts for Synthesis of New Plastics”
• 2021 - W. Andy Tao, Professor of Chemistry Purdue University, West Lafayette, "Chemistry in the omics era: tool to find a needle in a haystack"
• 2022 - Ryland Young, Texas A&M University, Distinguished Professor, College Station, TX, "Phage lysis: do we have the "hole" story now?"

Past Winners

• 1981 Laura Mae McDonald
• 1982 Juan M. Ramos
• 1983 Michael R. Mueller
• 1984 Starla S. Stewart
• 1985 Teresa Arnold
• 1986 Lisa Gruber
• 1988 James Haley
• 1989 Sydney Ham
• 1990 John Botts/Sadia Omar
• 1991 Pamela K. Meredith
• 1992 Michael J. Arnold
• 1993 John L. Gorbet
• 1994 Kevin R. Michalk
• 1995 David Reumut
• 1996 Jacueline Chapa
• 1997 Juan Carmona
• 1998 Bert Rodriguez
• 1999 James Ogle/Mark Davis
• 2000 Nasikul Islam
• 2001 Jackie Besinaiz
• 2002 Jackie Besinaiz
• 2004 Kate Edelman
• 2005 Christy Robertson
• 2006 Matt Flores
• 2007 Cheryl J. Claunch
• 2008 Jose A. Martinez
• 2009 Kyle Schiefen
• 2010 Alberto R. Fraire
• 2011 Elizabeth Wiseman
• 2013 Trent Pinion/Daniella Gaona
• 2014 Elisa Cruz, Victor Villarreal & Baldemar Martinez
• 2015 Uchenna P. Okakpu
• 2017 Mayra Mendoza/Ivan Villavicencio
• 2018 Benjamin Chi
• 2019 Crystal Chi
• 2021 Mauricia Gallegos
• 2022 Angel M. Alaniz

•  

 

Dr. Fred M. Garland, Professor

Fred McKee Garland was born in Corsicana, Texas on March 16, 1912. Being educated in the Texas public schools, he graduated from Ft. Worth Polytechnic High School in 1929. He received the B.S. degree from Trinity University at Waxahachie in 1934, the M.S. degree in chemistry from Texas Tech University in 1936, and the Ph.D. degree in chemistry from The University of Texas at Austin in 1939. Dr. Garland was an assistant professor at Trinity University from 1939 to 1941 and a research chemist for Armour and Co., Chicago from 1941 to 1943. During World War II, he was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, ultimately serving as the Executive Officer of the 314th General Hospital in Manila, the Philippines until the end of the war.

Rather than return to the cold winters of Chicago, Dr. Fred M. Garland joined the Texas A&I University faculty in 1946 at a salary of $3200 for 9 month and retired in 1978 at a salary of $26,091 for 9 month. For 25 years he served Texas A&I as chairman of the chemistry department, and 16 years as the chairman of the health professions committee. Many of his students achieved advanced or professional degrees; by his own count, 16 PhD’s in chemistry and over 100 dentists and 100 physicians. But in his retirement letter to the president, "My most significant accomplishment has been the assembling of a very strong staff, perhaps the strongest on campus. The department is in good hands."

The chemistry faculty grew from two to seven, hiring 24 chemistry faculties, during his tenure as chairman. In addition, modern laboratory equipment and library holdings were added each year. Because of his persistence and leadership the department received American Chemical Society certification in 1972, which is still maintained. His commitment to the teaching profession was recognized in 1958 when he was one of six national finalists for the MCA Teaching Award and again in 1977 when he was honored with the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation Award for "distinguished teaching on the college level" in Texas.

Dr. Garland died in 1980, but his legend lives on. He "lived" chemistry through his teaching, his students, and his faculty. As one of his students in the mid-’50’s aptly described him, "He could teach chemistry to a door knob."

In 1977, the Fred M. Garland Endowment Fund was established for the purpose of annually recognizing an undergraduate chemistry major that has shown professional promise in his/her academic achievements and leadership qualities at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. This endowment fund was built solely from the generous donations of former students and colleagues of Dr. Garland.