THE CHARTER MEMBERS GREET T H E SOCIETY
U p o n t h e o c c a s i o n of t h e S o c i e t y ' s G o l d e n J u b i l e e , w e a r e
f o r t u n a t e t o h a v e m e s s a g e s of g r e e t i n g f r o m all of t h e l i v i n g
charter members. Arranged alphabetically, these letters follow:
Bel Air, Maryland
July 21, 1951
I am asked for an appropriate 'word' as one of the nine
surviving charter members. My memory picture of the charter
meeting is that of a group of very enthusiastic and relatively
young m e n - - I was 24 at the time--who had come to realize
some of the scientific possibilities in the field lying between
classical chemistry and physics and the scant sympathy for
half-breeds in the existing technical societies.
Those early meetings were the most interesting society
sessions I ever attended. W e - - I in particular--did not know
too much of what we were talking about but papers and their
authors were certainly kicked around and even when licking
your wounds you knew you had learned something. Nowa-
days papers seem to get about as much audience attention
as radio commercials.
Today if we should strictly eliminate electrical phenomena
from all chemistry and physics there would be little left and
where electronics will lead us man knoweth not. The electrical
fringes where the two meet are still the most exciting fields
of exploration.
So let us make the most of our catalytic heritage.
With kindest regards,
Sincerely,
LAWRENCE ADDICKS
Ithaca, New York
July 16, 1951
I don't know how accurate one's recollections are of things
that happened fifty years ago. My impression is that the
American Chemical Society then had membership require-
ments which would not be met by all of those who were
interested in electrochemistry.
The Chemical Society would not change its rules so we
had to start and did start an electrochemical society. Being
crippled I cannot look this up myself; but it should be easy
to verify this, though I admit that it now sounds improbable.
Yours sincerely,
WILDER ~D. BANCROFT
New Haven, Connecticut
September 20, 1951
As a charter member of the Electrochemical Society I
wish to extend my most hearty greeting to every member of
the Society.
My thanks and appreciation are expressed for the work
done by all past and present officials who have made the
Electrochemical Society such an outstanding organization.
5C
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Upon my retirement from teaching at Yale, I gave all of
my volumes published by the Electrochemical Society to the
library of the Sterling Chemical Laboratory of Yale Univer-
sity.
With very best wishes for future accomplishments, I am
Yours sincerely,
WALTER M. BRADLEY
Bloomington, Indiana
October 3, 1951
Greetings to fellow members of the Electrochemical Society,
--the Society that has been and is the greatest force in build-
ing up our tremendous electrochemical industry of the United
States.
The inspiration we received when we met at the meetings
and became acquainted with such men as Joseph W. Richards,
Edward Acheson, Dr. Haber of Germany, Hutton of England,
Charles M. Hall, Ehner Sperry, the Taylors of New York,
Burgess, Kalenberg, Bancroft, and many others, gave us the
enthusiasm to go home and push hard our investigations in
electrochemistry. The Society was and still is the main force
for continued interest in the investigation and development
of electrochemical processes, because it was and is a small
group of persons who think alike.
I wish that the general public, the chemists and engineers
of the U. S, A. were more familiar with the extent of the
electrochemical industry. I deplore the fact that electrochem-
ical subjects have been dropped from the curricula of man)"
of our colleges and universities No subject is more suitable
for fundamental training in engineering and science. We
should see that the courses in applied and theoretical electro-
chemistry be restored to the curricula of our universities
and engineering schools. We should see that the universities
turn out chemists and engineers who are well trained in
applied electrochemistry.
Yours sincerely,
O. W. BROWN
Philadelphia, Pa.
August 3, 1951
Time, like space, is relative and infinite. In my memory I
can span the period of fifty years since the founding of tile
American Electrochemical Society (1901-1951) in but the
time it takes to dictate these words.
In accordance with my recollection, I was invited to be-
come a charter member of the American Electrochemical
Society by Dr. Carl Hering. The small group of Philadelphia
founder members with whom I had contacts were the follow-
 6C J O U R N A L OF T H E E L E C T R O C H E M I C A L S O C I E T Y
ing: Carl Hering, Charles Reed, Pedro Salom and Dr. Roeber.
If my recollection is not faulty, Dr. Roeber had but a
short time prior to the organization of the Society migrated
to America. Dr. Hering used him in some capacity in connec-
tion with his consulting practice. Other persons known to me
at the time were the following: Acheson, Oldsbury, Tone,
Horry and Fitzgerald.
It was through my acquaintance with Carl Hering that
I became interested in the electrothermic field. Hering had
discovered the "pinch" effect. Dr. Edwin F. Northrup (Ache-
~on medallist) had explained the phenomenon and had de-
veloped the theory and the well-known formula for calculat-
ing pinch pressure.
Hering had an idea for utilizing the electromagnetic forces
of the pinch phenomenon for operating an electric furnace.
I had a metallurgical problem and believed that a furnace as
conceived by Hering could be successfully used for conducting
the metallurgical process I had in mind. I offered to spend a
maximum of $500 to build a small equipment to demonstrate
the practicality of Hering's idea. There is an old Chinese
proverb, as follows: "No matter how long the journey the
first step must be taken." The expenditure of this initial
small amount was the first step that led to the establishment
of four separate companies for the development and exploita-
tion of electric furnaces; namely, Ajax Electric Furnace
Corporation, Ajax Electrothermic Corporation, Ajax Electric
Company, Inc. and Ajax Engineering Corporation.
Each one of these companies specializes in a different type
of furnace, all using the electromagnetic circulation due to
pinch pressure, coupled with other electromagnetic and ther-
mal effects.
The expenditure of the initial $500 resulted merely in
establishing the fact that there was merit in the idea of apply-
ing electromagnetic circulation. Hering proposed the use of
electrodes. It required an expenditure of $40,000 to determine
that the use of electrodes in this type of furnace (without
going into detail) was impractical.
Success soon followed after discarding electrodes and utiliz-
ing the electromagnetic forces in an induction furnace. This
type of furnace was soon demonstrated to be ideal as a brass
melter. It was rapidly adopted by the wrought brass industry.
Melting of brass in that industry actually underwent a revolu-
tion, in that all the old pit-crucible type furnaces were thrown
out and this furnace substituted. Today practically all the
metal melting in the brass mills of the world is done in induc-
tion furnaces of this type.
Necessity of maintaining a fairly large heel of metal (to
complete the secondary circuit) restricted the use of this
furnace very largely to 24-hour-a-day operation. With this
in mind, I retained Dr. Northrup to study the possibility of
devising an induction furnaee that would not have this
drawback. The well-known high frequency induction furnace
resulted. Today there is a high frequency induction furnace
industry. Since the patents have expired many concerns have
entered the field. High frequency induction is used not only
for melting but for heating solids, surface hardening, and for
many other purposes.
The next project was to develop a furnace for melting and
circulating molten salts. Such furnaces are extensively used
for many heat treating processes (34 are listed in our catalog).
I name but a few as follows: cyclic annealing, ease hardening,
isothermal heat treatment, martempering and heating billets
for forging and extruding, etc. This type of furnace is not
an induction furnace but uses electrodes, as originally con-
templated by Hering. The use of electrodes in this type fur-
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January 1952
nave is entirely practical. The circulation due to electro-
magnetic forces is of great magnitude.
The original induction furnace, largely used in the brass
industry, was unsatisfactory for melting aluminum. When
used for melting aluminum the secondary channels became
rapidly clogged with aluminum oxide. In a furnace of modified
design this difficulty has been entirely overcome and a furnace
of this type is in very extensive use in the aluminum industry.
A company was organized to specialize in each of the fields
enumerated: viz.,
(1) Submerged resistor induction furnace for melting brass
and other metals.
(2) High frequency coreless induction furnace for many
melting and heating applications.
(3) Salt bath furnace for heat treating and other applica-
tions.
(4) Submerged resistor induction furnace for aluminum
melting.
Each company has spent large sums for research and develop-
ment. The companies specializing in each of these fields have
long been established and are well known. They are enumer-
ated above.
Unfortunately, due to my having taken an active part in
three other national societies; viz., American Institute of
Metals, American Society for Testing Materials and American
Foundrymen's Society, I did not have the time to take an
active part in the affairs of the American Electrochemical
Society. I have, however, kept in close touch with its splendid
accomplishments through its publications. As one of the nine
surviving charter members I extend to the officers and mem
bers of the Society my hearty congratulations upon the oc
casion of its 50th anniversary. I am sure the Society will
continue its good work on an ever expanding scale.
Yours sincerely,
G. H. CLAMER
Boulder, Colorado
August 8, 1951
Your letter of 8/1 has been received and I was much inter-
ested but find it somewhat difficult to reply after a lapse of
nearly 50 years.
You are right, I retired--on account of age--from the
Deanship of the College of Engineering, University of Colo-
rado, to the status of Dean and Professor Emeritus, in No-
vember 1943. Since formal retirement I have been busy on
various projects, some related to engineering and some to
business.
I am very well and active.
In 1902 I was a member of the staff of the Department of
Electrical Engineering at the University of Nebraska in
Lincoln and in addition to other duties I set up a modest
Electrochemical Laboratory and offered a short course in
that subject. As I look back on it now, both the laboratory
and the course were very modest but at that time they may
have served a useful purpose.
As I remember it, my laboratory and classroom course
dealt chiefly with primary and secondary batteries, the con-
trolled deposition of metals, and some work on electric fur-
naves.
When I learned of the plan to found an Electrochemical
Society, in 1902, it was only natural that I should wish to
join with others of like interests.
I enjoyed and benefited from the publications and contacts
afforded by the new Society until a change of position gradu-
 Vol. 99, No. 1 1902--FIFTIETH
ally made it necessary for me to devote my tinm and efforts
to other fields of electrical engineering. I have never lost
my interest, however, in electrochemistry.
In June of 1905 I went with the General Electric Company
in Schenectady intending to return to Nebraska in the fall,
but while there I was offered and accepted the headship of
the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University
of Colorado at Boulder. This position I retained for many
years and was appointed Dean of the College of Engineering
in 1919. I continued in that position until retirement as noted
above.
M y congratulations to the Society on its 50th anniversary
and very best wishes for its continued usefulness.
Sincerely yours,
H. S. EvAns
Cambridge, England
31st July, 1951
I was most interested to receive your letter of July 16th
and to be reminded that I am one of the nine surviving charter
members.
With regard to the first meeting of the Society, fortunately
my memory is very clear and I kept some detailed notes.
I often enjoy reminiscing on this visit, which I specially
planned in order to take part in the Niagara Falls meeting
of the Society where I spent ten very happy days, September
l l t h to 20th, 1902. These were very young days for the
electrochemical industries, and most of them were run rather
secretly, but Professor Fritz Haber and I, as oversea visitors,
were treated very generously and were shown round most of
the works.
At this meeting the first issue of "Electrochemical In-
dustry" was circulate. Amongst others who have become
famous in the annals of the Society and outside it, I remember
intimate talks with the following: Prof. J. W. Richards,
C. J. Reed, Carl Hering, E. G. Acheson, Charles M. Hall,
W. R. Whitney, Prof. W. D. Bancroft, C. F. Burgess, F. A. J.
FitzGerald, F. M. Beckett, C. S. Bradley, F. J. Tone, E. R.
Taylor, C. E. Acker.
M y subsequent visits to America have impressed me, as
they do most Europeans, with the wonderful tempo of
advance and keen appreciation of the possibility of new
technical developments which are so characteristic of your
country, but those ten days spent at Niagara Falls in close
contact with so many of your electrochemical pioneers are
still red letter days in my memory.
With heartiest congratulations to the Society and its noble
band of honorary officer~,
Yours sincerely,
R. S. HUTTON
Lockport, New York
July 19, 1951
I have your communication of the 16th and, unfortunately,
I am so occupied with my different jobs that I can't comply
with your request. However, I am sending you under separate
cover copy of my "Incidents by the W a y " and if you will
note the marked pages you will see the situation as it concerns
my career. You may use as little or as much as you choose.
Yours very truly,
WM. R. KENAN, JR.
[From this autobiography, it appears that Mr. Kenan has
led a most eventful life and has engaged in a wide variety
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ANNIVERSARY--1952 7C
of pursuits. He has, for example, held executive positions in
banking, building construction, hotel, water, railway, land,
farming, and power companies. He has established and con-
tributed to many philanthropies. To quote his own words,
" I t is given to few men to experience the joy I have had in
helping young people to complete their education, young
students who might otherwise have faltered by the way
through lack of funds, and few men whom I have known have
had the satisfaction of honoring the name they bear through
such cultural memorials as the Kenan Foundation, erected
in the city of my birth; the Kenan Stadium built for my alma
mater, the University of North Carolina, that has thrilled
thousands of people by its beauty; Camp Kenan on the shore
of Lake Ontario at Barker, New York, which has been such
a happy medium for many of the youth . . . . And it has given
me a lot of satisfaction to promote the varied interests car-
ried on at Randleigh Farm where through scientific research
and practical application we have been able to reveal new
controls and methods otherwise impossible for the average
farmer to obtain . . . . "
Mr. Kenan is a graduate of the University of North Caro-
lina which fifty years after his graduation conferred on him
the degree Doctor of Laws. While still a student at the Univer-
sity under Professor F. P. Venable, he undertook the examina-
tion of a dark colored material obtained by the Professor from
a furnace in which T. L. Willson had been attempting to
produce calcium. Young Kenan found that the gas evolved
upon contact of this material with water was acetylene and
thus that the furnace product contained not calcium but
calcium carbide. A syndicate was formed in Philadelphia
under the name of the Carbide Manufacturing Company to
produce acetylene from calcium carbide andyoungMr. I(enan,
then 23 )'ears old, was offered his first job with this concern.
His duties as defined by the president of the company were
described in these words: " I n the event of your forming a
connection with our company, you will have entire charge
of the laboratory and the office at all times. We will expect
you to work ten hours a day seven days a week. During six
hours of this time, you will have charge of the plant and of
all men at work at such time. During the rest of the ten hours,
we will expect you to make tests of the carbide from each
charge of the furnace and make an occasional determination
of lime in the furnace mixtures. There will be also submitted
to you for analysis samples of lime and coke. We expect you
also to keep the time of the other men, to make out the pay-
rolls and attend to the correspondence in shipments of car-
bides and the receipts of lime and coke . . . . We will pay you
$25 per week . . . . " Mr. Kenan states that he accepted the
job with alacrity. Thus he entered the electrochemical in-
dustry.--ED.]
Schenectady, New York
September 24, 1951
I prefer looking ahead to reviewing the past. I am still
interested in the whole of Creation. Electrochemistry seems
to be a fine approach to it. Appreciating the creation-as-is
should be the supreme effort of man. Apparently the human
brain itself is something electrochemical created in man. I
like to say "constructed by himself." Our inquisitive work
stretches and arranges the wires that make up the brain.
All our sensations are electrochemical messages along nerves.
They are stored somehow in our subconscious and conscious-
ness; and it is marvellous that a fellow can think about his
own mind, as he can contemplate a photograph.
 8C J O U R N A L OF T H E E L E C T R O C H E M I C A L SOCIETY January 1952

The 200-in. telescope shows the whole universe to be for-
ever expanding. That agrees with our local observations too.
I t has always been so. Notice, also, how fittingly true it is that
the smallest things in the universe are expanding too. Shortly
after the ECS was established, all atoms expanded and the
electron was disclosed. Now "Electronics business" is over
two billion a year. Also, the electrons now serve to increase
the expansion by microscopes, from about 2,000 to 100,000-
fold. Here are electricalparts in the process with fine chemical
development in the invisible shadows.
It seems humanly impossible to fully appreciate the crea-
tion as we find it. But that is reason enough to forever try to
do so. What Emerson called the Chaos, which man should
tame, may all be only in our feeble minds.
What is really natural is the recognizable, universal, order-
liness, the dependency, and the fine, fixed qualities of all
parts of the creation itself.
I am led to accept the English Poet Laureate Robert
Bridges' view expressed in "The Testament of Beauty" that
"Conduct lies in the masterful administration of the unfore-
seen." And I'd like to add--Creation is never as chaotic in
the future, as it has always been in the past.
Lovingly yours,
WILLIS R. WHITNEY

The first seal of the Society appeared on the title page of Volume
48 of the TRANSACTIONS in 1925. The design was decided upon b y
an E m b l e m C o m m i t t e e after receiving more t h a n one hundred sug-
gestions submitted by the membership at large. The seal embodies
the Weston standard cell, symbolic of electrolysis, and an electric arc,
representing electrothermics. I t was revised in 1930 when the Society
was incorporated under the name The Electrochemical Society, and
now appears as shown above.

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