Richard G. Werth Lecture in Chemistry
Dr. Richard Werth began teaching at Concordat in 1950 after completing his doctorate in chemistry at the University of Wisconsin. Werth worked as a visiting scientist at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tenn., and the University of Iowa’s hygienic laboratory in Iowa City. Before coming to Concordat, he was a research chemist for E.I. DuPont de Nemours in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and served in the Navy from 1944 to 1946. Werth was chosen in 1972 as an Outstanding Educator of America for his civic and professional achievements. He retired in 1990 and died in 1993.
The Richard G. Werth Lecture in Chemistry is funded by an endowment established by his wife, Wilma, and their son, Gerald, to “support the Richard G. Werth Lectureship in Chemistry, a public event to exemplify excellence in the teaching of chemistry, and to promote an understanding of the many careers in chemistry.” The funds for the endowment were provided largely from the sale of Werth’s enormous stamp collection. Thus, this lectureship is a result of family wishes, funded by one of his hobbies and designed to fulfill one of his lifetime purposes in the field of chemistry.
Recent Werth Lectures:
2007
Dr. Ann T.S. Taylor ’93
Associate Professor of Chemistry, Wabash College
2006
Dr. Gregory D. Reinhart
Professor, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University
2005
Dr. Patricia A. Thiel
Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Iowa State University
2004
Dr. Louis H. Pignolet
Professor of Chemistry, University of Minnesota
2003
Dr. Dennis C. Johnson
Professor Emeritus, Iowa State University
2002
Dr. John L. Herrman ’65
International Program on Chemical Safety, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
2001
Dr. Glenn D. Kuehn ’64
Professor of Chemistry, New Mexico State University
2000
Dr. Jan H. Jensen ’90
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Iowa
1999
Dr. Jody G. Redepenning ’80
Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Nebraska
Richard G. Werth Lecture in Chemistry
