Aprh. 3, 1914] 



SCIENCE 



499 



as he loved to call them. And he was in his 

 relations to them an older brother more than 

 a formal director. Dr. Duncan always felt 

 that in scientific investigation the things of 

 the spirit were more important than material 

 things and that the many seemingly impos- 

 sible results which had been achieved in his 

 laboratories were accomplished solely because 

 of the fine spirit which he instilled into his 

 men. 



Dr. Duncan was born in Brantford, Ontario, 

 1868. He graduated with first-class honors in 

 chemistry and physics from the University of 

 Toronto in 1892 and did graduate work in 

 Clark and in Columbia universities. He was 

 a preparatory school teacher of chemistry 

 from 1893 to 1901, when he became professor 

 of chemistry at Washington and Jefferson 

 College (1901-6). He studied abroad during 

 the years, 1900-1903, 1904 and 1907. Up un- 

 til 1906, Professor's Duncan's life as it was evi- 

 denced to the outside world was simply that 

 of a successful growing teacher of chemistry. 

 But in his inner life a great purpose had been 

 developing and finally took form in his sys- 

 tem of industrial fellowships. He really led 

 a dedicated life — a life dedicated to the work- 

 ing out and founding of a method of sym- 

 pathetic cooperation between industry and 

 learning, whereby industry, the university, the 

 public and young men would be greatly ad- 

 vantaged. In 1906 Dr. Duncan was called to 

 the University of Kansas as professor of in- 

 dustrial chemistry and it was then and at that 

 time that he initiated on a small scale his 

 new system of industrial fellowships. In 1910 

 he became director of the department of indus- 

 trial research of the University of Pittsburgh, 

 which department, in 1913, became the Mellon 

 Institute. It was in the University of Pitts- 

 burgh that industrial fellowships expanded 

 with such extraordinary rapidity to the pres- 

 ent large institution. 



As an educator in the field of science Dr. 

 Duncan's influence was very far reaching. 

 He had the rare faculty of imparting to his 

 students and associates his own overflowing 

 enthusiasm. He inspired a peculiar loyalty 

 to the highest ideals of scientific truth. Nu- 



merous short articles from his pen, in addi- 

 tion to his books — written with a unique 

 charm of expression and power of interpre- 

 tation — gave a widespread interest in things 

 scientific. His investigations and writings on 

 the conditions of the employment of chemists 

 by industrialists had a marked effect in better- 

 ing the status of the industrial chemist. 



As to the personal influence of his life on 

 those with whom he came in contact, I do not 

 know how better I can express this than by 

 appending the following tribute from one of 

 his "boys." 



Eaymond p. Bacon 



robert kennedy duncan, as one of his boys 



KNEW HIM 



There are scattered over this country a 

 fairly large number of men each of whom is 

 glad if Robert Kennedy Duncan ever referred 

 to him as " one of my boys." Yes, there are 

 many of us who are better men, who see the 

 values of this life clearer for having been one 

 of his " boys." To some of us he was a pro- 

 fessor of chemistry, to some he was a director 

 of industrial research but to all of us he was 

 a big brother, yes even a father. He was an 

 employer of none of us in the ordinary sense 

 of the term. Robert Kennedy Duncan was 

 truly " a fisher of men," a witness of the 

 light which has ever shone clearly for those 

 who have lived the gospel of man's brother- 

 hood. 



I wish I had the pen to enable others to 

 understand something of his leadership. None 

 can see all the facets of a gem from one 

 angle. Neverthless I shall attempt to speak of 

 him, as one of his " boys " who has been 

 privileged to know him. 



I can do no better than to select a few of 

 his own sentences about certain deeds of men 

 which excited his own admiration. He was 

 fond of military analogies. In a recent article 

 on industrial research which appeared in 

 Harper's Magazine he likened the modem 

 spirit of discovery in scientific research to the 

 spirit of the young Marco Polo. 



Let us contrast synthetic rubber with synthetic 

 indigo. The commercial synthesis of indigo was 



