GRC 75th Anniversary - About this Project

Introduction

Timeline

History

Reflections

Facts & Figures

Photo Archive

Memories

About

Introduction1931-19491950-19691970-19891990-2006IntroductionFoundations, Leadership, and GrowthA Distinctive Operating FormulaResults and ImpactConclusionSourcesIntroductionReflections on MatterIllustrations of LifePhysical VisionsThe New GenerationTranscendental GRC PrinciplesLeading the Cutting EdgeFacts & FiguresPhoto ArchiveMemoriesAbout

I was in the audience when John Partridge returned to the stage (the old one at New Hampton School) naked after escaping from Professor Koji Nakanishi's magic bag.

- Joseph Konopelski

In 1993, big, loveable Jonathan Fracter from NIST walked right through a plate glass window at Colby- Sawyer College. It was not funny at the time, of course, but it has been discussed anecdotally ever since - especially the speed with which the college put stickers of owls on the other windows.

- George R. Pilcher

The GRC certainly helped bring chemists, zoologists, botanists, ecologists, and behaviorists together to better explore the chemical differences of plants and better understand the interactions of plants and herbivores, as well as the relationship patterns between plants and their consumers through evolution.

- Lawrence E. Gilbert

The Electrochemistry conferences in the early years (1965-1975) were important because the field was undergoing a renaissance and the younger electrochemists needed a forum.

- Allen Bard

The GRC format doesn't work everywhere. At a meeting in the Riviera in 1975, it became evident that you can't have a scientific session after a French dinner - so one was held in the late afternoon.

- Cheves Walling

One time I went into a New Hampshire town with a group of scientists. It was "open mic" night and one of the GRC conferees actually won the singing competition.

- Leonard Zon

About this Project

This web site and the book publication, Reflections from the Frontiers - Explorations for the Future, are the culmination of a four-year collaborative project between the Gordon Research Conferences and the Chemical Heritage Foundation that collected and preserved the GRC story, explored GRC's rich history and incredible growth, sought to make known GRC's integral role in scientific progress, and celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary.

The project began with the transfer, processing, and preservation of GRC's historical records, which are now available at CHF to scientists and historians. Next the team (shown in photo from left to right, Leah Shaper, Arthur A. Daemmrich, Nancy Ryan Gray, and Pamela Potter) produced a poster, "History and Evolution of the Gordon Research Conferences," which documents GRC's growth and role in stimulating scientific innovation. GRC's seventy-fifth anniversary year (2006) featured the release of the Reflections from the Frontiers publication as well as the launch of this web site.

The web site offers an online overview of GRC history showcasing its growth, personal narratives and recollections, and reference tools. It also provides conference participants the opportunity to contribute their perspectives on the role of GRC in advancing scientific frontiers.

Acknowledgments

This site was built by Jeff Carroll at GRC with input from Jim David at GRC and Arthur Daemmrich at CHF. We are grateful to staff at the Gordon Research Conferences and the Chemical Heritage Foundation for their help, especially Darlene Graveline and Pamela Potter at GRC and Chi Chan and Andrew Mangravite at CHF.

GRC History Project Advisory Group

The project was guided from its inception by an advisory group. We are most grateful to its members for offering counsel and continuity, for identifying and recruiting essayists, and for their overall enthusiasm. The members were Paul S. Anderson, Alexander M. Cruickshank, Arthur A. Daemmrich, James R. Florini, Nancy Ryan Gray, Frances A. Houle, Gerri Miceli, Mark Ratner, Carlyle B. Storm, Joan S. Valentine, and Barbara K. Vonderhaar.