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.
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.
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.
Gordon Research Conferences
The main GRC web site contains a wealth of information on the organization, including our list
of meetings, site/travel information, an online application, and much more!
Chemical Heritage Foundation
The Chemical Heritage Foundation serves the community of the chemical and molecular
sciences, and the wider public, by treasuring the past, educating the present, and inspiring the
future. The GRC 75th Anniversary publication and web site were developed in close cooperation
with CHF.