Nelson, Leonard J. (1916-2006) | University of Illinois Archives

Name: Nelson, Leonard J. (1916-2006)

Historical Note: Leonard J. Nelson (1916-2006) served as professor of chemistryat the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) from 1943-1986, and after 1992 as a faculty associate in chemistry at the California Institute of Technology. Following completion of a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University in 1939 he received his Ph.D from Columbia University in 1942. The author of over 400 scholarly articles, Dr. Leonard was awarded the Roger Adams Award in Organic Chemistry in 1981 and the American Chemical Society's Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award in 1995, and retired from UIUC as an R. C. Fuson Professor of Chemistry. From 1943-1955 he also pursued a singing career as a bass-baritone soloist, performing in choral works with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and other ensembles around the country.

Sources: University Archives collection and obituaries.

Note Author: Jennifer Wood