1996 Eugene V. Kleber

Dr. Eugene V. Kleber is the 1996 recipient of the Agnes Ann Green Distinguished Service Award for the Southern California Section of the American Chemical Society in recognition of his 38 years of service as an active committee worker, as Chairman, and long-time Councilor.

After obtaining the Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin in 1943 and working a short time in Michigan, Dr. Kleber came to Southern California and immediately became deeply involved in this Section’s affairs in ways which influenced its growth and development. The first of these was his involvement in the founding of SCALACS as the official publication of the Southern California Section.

Through the years, Dr. Kleber supported the broadening of its coverage. By the 50’s and 60’s SCALACS was carrying not only the reports, news and meeting announcements for the Southern California Seciton, but also those of its neighboring sections–San Diego, Orange County, Boulder Dam and San Gorgonio. He always maintained a special interest in the publication of SCALACS and was called upon frequently to solve its business problems, such as finding a new printer when that need occurred.

As Chairman of the Southern California Section in 1965, Dr. Kleber’s greatest effort went into promoting more membership involvement in the affairs of the Section. To this end, he encouraged the formation of special interest groups, the participation of more members in committee work, and more interest in national ACS policies, offerings, etc. He also made a special appeal that year to employers in this area to promote membership in ACS within their organizations and to subsidize the cost of meeting attendance for their employees. He directed a similar appeal to chairmen of chemistry departments of universities in Southern California.

Dr. Kleber will himself say that he made his greatest contributions to the Section and to the Society during his eighteen years as Councilor representing the Southern California Section. He insisted on getting the Councilors together to study the Council agenda before each meeting. And from this time on, the Southern California Section Councilors began to become active in national affairs.

While Councilor, Dr. Kleber was a regular attendee of the meetings of the Executive Committee of the Section until 1978, when he left this area, transferring from Atomics International in Burbank to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, DC. However, he maintained his membership in the Southern California Section and served his last two terms on the Council as its elected representative.

Now retired in Minnesota, Dr. Kleber will be in Southern California in October to receive this acknowledgement of his 38 years of service to the section.