Maurice Morton

Maurice Morton (3 June 1913 – 23 March 1994) was a polymer author, educator, and researcher. He was the first director of the University of Akron's Institute of Rubber Research, which in 1993 was renamed the Maurice Morton Institute of Polymer Science.[1]

Maurice Morton
Maurice Morton teaching at the Institute of Rubber Research.
Born(1913-06-03)June 3, 1913
Latvia
DiedMarch 23, 1994(1994-03-23) (aged 80)
Cleveland, OH
Alma materMcGill University
Known forPolymers
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsPolymer science
InstitutionsConcordia University, University of Akron

Personal

Morton was born in pre-World War I Latvia, on 3 June 1913. Due to political instability following World War I, Morton's family moved to Canada, settling in Montreal. Some of his earliest memories were of gunfire when the Russian Revolution began in St. Petersburg.[2] He attended college at McGill University. He married Lilian Rosenbloom in 1933. The two were married for sixty years, until her death in 1993. Morton emigrated to the United States in 1948, to take a position at the University of Akron, where he would remain for his career. Morton had three children, Jay Dennis, John Alex, and Ruth.

Education

Career
  • 1936 - 1941 Chief Chemist - Johns Manville, Quebec
  • 1941 - 1944 Chief Chemist - Congoleum Canada, Montreal
  • 1945 - 1948 Assistant Professor and department head at Concordia University
  • 1948 - hired by George S. Whitby as assistant director of rubber research for the U. S. Government Rubber Research Program's at the University of Akron. Some of his first accomplishments were the design and execution of experiments to confirm theories developed by Paul J. Flory.
  • 1952 - upon retirement of Prof. Whitby, the university appointed Morton as the first Professor of Polymer Chemistry, and assistant director of the chemistry department.
  • 1956 - founded the Ph.D. program in Polymer Chemistry at the university's Institute of Rubber Research
  • 1962 - served as chairman of the ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry.
  • 1993 - retired as Regents Professor Emeritus of Polymer Chemistry

Morton held three patents in polymer chemistry. He wrote more than 100 technical articles over his career, as well as widely used texts.

Awards and Recognitions

References
  1. "Polymer Educator Morton Dies". Rubber and Plastics News. March 28, 1994.
  2. Bowles, Mark. Chains of Opportunity. p. 87. ISBN 9781931968539.
  3. "Colwyn Medal award winners". iom3. IOM3. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  4. http://www.uakron.edu/dps/faculty/faculty-awards.dot
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