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THIRTEENTH YEAR
FEBRUARY, 1961
Dr. W H. Urry
Tours
Southwest
During
February
THE SCIENTIFIC research of W. H. Urry
of the University of Chicago has dealt
with the discovery of new reactions in
free-radical chemistry and the investiga-
tion of their reaction mechanisms. His
studies include the reactions of peroxides,
organo-metallic substances and olefin ad-
ditions. Among other tools for the physi-
cal-organic investigations of these reac-
tions, he has used isotopic techniques. His
more recent work has also included studies
of hydroxine chemistry and catalysis via
the complex ions of platinum.
His early life was spent in Salt Lake
City, Utah (born November 5, 1914),
and the first two years of his college work
was at the University of Utah. In 1936 he
enrolled in the University of Chicago
where his formal education was completed
(BS, 1938, PhD, 1944). During the six
year period from 1937 to 1943, he worked
on the popular presentation of science at
the Museum of Science and Industry in
Chicago's Lake Front (lecturer, 1937-
1940; curator of chemistry, 1940-1943).
Immediately after the completion of his
work for the Doctors' degree, he was ap-
pointed to the faculty of the University
of Chicago (Instructor, 1944-1948; As-
sistant Professor, 1948-1953; Associate
Professor, 1953-1'958; Professor, 1958- to
the present). He was visiting professor
at the University of California at Berkeley
during the academic year of 195 8-1959.
He married while in graduate school
and has four children, two boys (one
studying physics and the other art-22
and 20) and two girls (18 and 14).
In addition to his teaching and research
at the University of Chicago, he has been
an active industrial consultant and has
engaged in various activities in govern-
ment research, concerned chiefly with the
study of propellants with the U. S. Naval
Ordnance Test Station at China Lake,
California, chemical warfare agents for
the Army Chemical Center and with
various other activities for the Office of
Scientific Research and Development and
the Quartermaster Corps.
FEBRUARY, 1961
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