In Memoriam
Dr. Jesse C.H. Hwa
1924-2005
Elected POLY Positions
- Chair, 73
- Secretary, 69-71
- Vice Chair, 72
- Councilor, 75-86
Jesse Hwa passed away on July 2nd in Stamford, CT. Jesse battled cancer for
the previous 18 months and is now at peace. Jesse was a leader of our
professional society and a strong contributor to polymer science and
engineering.
In 1991, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of POLY, he compiled an
exhaustive and most useful
Division History
which was published in Polymer Preprints, vol. 32, No. 2, May 1991, pp.
311-417, and also as a separate booklet.
Jesse divided his historical account into three periods: a) early years
(1951-1965), b) transition and growth (1966-1975), and c) expansion and
strengthening (1976-1990). He covered in detail the organization and
business management, technical programs, educational and publication
activities, awards programs, and countless notable events within and
outside the American Chemical Society.
He was truly a faithful member of POLY, a pioneer in more than one way, a
great friend and colleague.
(From the Polymer Chemistry Newsletter, Fall 2005
Contributed by Val Metanomski and H. N. Cheng)
IN MEMORIAM
JESSE C. H. HWA
(1924-2005)
It was with great sadness that POLY noted the passing of Dr. Jesse Hwa,
former POLY Chair and a strong supporter of POLY, on July 2, 2005.
Jesse received his B.S. with Honors degree from the St. John's University,
Shanghai, China in 1945, and M.S. and Ph.D. in 1947 and 1949, respectively,
from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He worked for the
Rohm and Haas from 1949 to 1963 and for the former Stauffer Chemical
Company from 1963 to 1985 in various research and management capacities.
Jesse had been President of Hwa International, Inc., Stamford, Conn., since
1985. He had published 30 articles and 47 U.S. patents. His first paper
(1950), coauthored with Carl Marvel, future first POLY chair in 1951, was
on the addition of 1,3-butadiene to propionitrile, and his first patent
(1953) was on anion-exchange resins.
Jesse was a mainstay of POLY and an innovator. At various times, he served
in education and membership committees (1960s), as secretary (1969-1971),
councilor (1975-1986), chair (1973), and historian (1988-1990). As
councilor, he was a member of the Council/Board Joint Committee on
International Activities (1975-1983), chair of Division Councilors Caucus
(1976-1983), chair of Division Officers Group (1978), among other
activities. In 1986, Jesse received a well-deserved POLY Distinguished
Service Award.
His most enduring contribution to POLY and in fact an admirable legacy is
the Division History (1951-1991), published on the occasion of the 40th
anniversary of POLY. Jesse covered in detail the organization and business
management, technical programs, educational and publication activities, and
documented countless notable events within and outside the ACS. The
History is remarkable for being an account of many personal trials and
tribulations written by a participant and a witness, who enjoyed collecting
remembrances, anecdotes, and stories. Just one example in Jesse's own
words:
"A business meeting was held in 1968 in the chairman's hotel room.
Honestly, the room was not very big. We had to sit on the floor and lean
against the wall or the bedpost and somehow survived those hours of
semi-torture. At the end of the meeting someone got wise and said,
"Maybe we could ask ACS to give us a meeting room next time."
In addition to POLY and ACS, Jesse was also active in other scientific,
professional, business, and ethnic organizations. A particular achievement
was the conception and founding of the Chinese American Chemical Society
(CACS). Many of us at POLY have always admired his ability and energy. He
will be greatly missed.
Anyone wishing to contact the Hwa family may write to
doloreshwa@optonline.net.
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