490 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 60 



better to condition it to fulfill its end-use functions. To a major 

 extent this is a task for chemistry, and true to its chemical ancestry (in 

 point of organization the utilization laboratories are lineal descend- 

 ants of the one-time Bureau of Chemistry and Soils), the southern 

 laboratory began by emphasizing experimentation with chemical 

 treatments of raw cotton, as well as engineering-type studies designed 

 to increase processing efficiency. By introducing cross linkages of 

 various kinds and degrees and modifying the molecular structure of 

 cellulose without destroying the general fiber configuration, remark- 

 able successes have been acliieved in such directions as resistance to 

 heat, sunlight, bacterial, and fungous degradation, and to flame and 

 glow resistance, among others. Parallel to or in cooperation with the 

 Avork of private organizations, basic studies of resin finishes have con- 

 tributed to the development of crease retention and wrinkle resistance 

 in wash-and-wear apparel fabrics. Subsequent reorganizations have 

 brought about the consolidation in the Soutliern Regional Laboratory 

 of much of the Department's physical studies of cotton fibers. 



In addition to the credit to which Dr. Webb is entitled for his own 

 researches, credit must also be given to him for the insight and 

 judgment with which he selected his coworkers. For the alumni of 

 the little band tliat he first brought together head the honor roll of 

 the profession and their achieA-ements are, in themselves, an impres- 

 sive tribute to his early leadership. Notable among those already 

 mentioned are, of course. Dr. Campbell, now Dean of the School of 

 Textiles at the North Carolina State College, the largest textile school 

 in the United States, who is known and respected as an outstanding 

 educator in this field not only in this comitry but throughout the 

 w^orld, and himself the director of a front-rank research program at 

 his own institution. 



Similarly there is Miss Dorothy Nickerson, wliose dramatic prog- 

 ress in color analj^sis, the sinmhition of daylight and the control of 

 illumination led to the development of a phenomenal electronic in- 

 strument, the Nickerson-Hunter Colorimeter, which automatically 

 registers on a scale instantly and accurately all that the hmnan eye 

 can see of color and luster. Notable as have been her contributions 

 in the field of cotton quality analysis, her guidance has been widely 

 sought — as far afield in fact as in the motion-picture industry. Among 

 the honors that have come to her are fellowships m the Optical 

 Society of America, the Illuminating Engineering Society, and the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is a dele- 

 gate from both the Optical Society of America and the American 

 Society for Testing Materials on the Inter-Society Color Council, 

 one of three representatives of the Optical Society of America to 

 the International Commission on Illumination, and serves as Chair- 



