2004 Recipient, Agnes Ann Green
Distinguished Service Award
Dr. Harold Goldwhite, selected for the 2004 Agnes Ann Green Distinguished Service Award, is eminently deserving of commendations for his service to the Southern California Section of the American Chemical Society and to the National ACS. He has also contributed effectively to chemical education through his teaching, his publications, and his leadership in faculty representation and academic governance.
Dr. Goldwhite was born in England and received his B. A. degree (1953) and Ph.D. (1956), both from Cambridge. He was then a Research Associate at Cornell University (1956-1958), and a lecturer at the University of Manchester (1958-1962), before joining the faculty of the California State University Los Angeles in 1962.
Since coming to Los Angeles, Dr. Goldwhite has participated significantly in the Southern California Section: Elections Committee, 1966; Program Committee, 1971-72; Editor, SCALACS, 1982-84; Executive Committee 1982-86; Program Chair and Chair Elect, 1985; Chair, 1986, and Councilor, 1987-90. His column “This Month in Chemical History” has appeared for over two decades in SCALACS and in other local section journals. He has also appeared as a guest speaker at several Southern California dinner meetings.
Besides being Councilor from our Section to the National ACS, Dr. Goldhwhite has served National through the Division of the History of Chemistry as Secretary/Treasurer (1990-1995), and Chair (1995-96).
Dr. Goldwhite is currently Professor and has been Chair in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at CSULA. He teaches general and inorganic chemistry and chemical history, the latter often in special programs nationwide. He researches phosphorous chemistry intercalation processes and the history of chemistry. His is the author of seven books, over 80 articles on his chemical research, and numerous articles on the history of chemistry and on chemical education. He has inspired many students to graduate education and careers in chemistry. He was recognized as Outstanding Professor of CSULA and of the entire CSU system in 1978.
Goldwhite has been visiting professor in England, France, Mexico and Venezuela. Finally, Goldwhite was Director of the CSU Institute for Teaching and Learning, a system-wide resource for faculty from 1996-98.
Dr. Goldwhite has represented the CSU Faculty on the National Council of the American Association of University Professors, and on the State-wide Board of Directors of the California Faculty Association. Goldwhite has chaired the CSU system-wide Academic Senate (1993-95), and served on the CSU Board of Trustees (1998-2003) as the sole representative of the 20,000 faculty.