Tag: Heritage Day

Nobel Prize winner, OWU alum Sherwood Rowland honored

By: Ross Hickenbottom, Transcript Reporter

The Heritage Day display for Sherwood Rowland.
The Heritage Day display for Sherwood Rowland.

Ohio Wesleyan alumni all over the world have received awards in recognition of their accomplishments. Whether for sports, science research, education, politics, social activism, literature or entertainment, these awards are prestigious. But one award trumps all the rest: the Nobel Prize.

Frank Sherwood Rowland, class of 1948, received the 1995 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his cooperative “work with chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and their impact on the Earth’s ozone layer,” according to Connect2OWU. In other words, he proved to the world that mankind can (and is) depleting the ozone.

During his formative years of research he was affiliated with the department of chemistry at the University of California, along with Paul J. Crutzen and Mario J. Molina, his co-­winners.

The school community celebrated the 20th anniversary of Sherwood’s award on Nov. 13. The celebration was named “Noblest Achievements: Environment Echoes of Sherwood Rowland” and was held in the atrium of the Hamilton­Williams Campus Center from 12­-1 p.m.

Ben Miller and recount details of Rowland's life in the Ham-Wil atrium on Nov. 12.
Ben Miller (left) and Evan Katz recount details of Rowland’s life in the Ham-Wil atrium on Nov. 12.

Sherwood was a member of Delta Tau Delta, the men’s basketball team and was the sports editor of The Transcript during his time at OWU. With this in mind, OWU chose junior Evan Katz, a member of Delta Tau Delta and senior Ben Miller, a journalism major, to speak on Rowland’s behalf.

In his speech, Katz shared some unknown and impressive facts about Sherwood, including the fact that “Sherwood Rowland entered the first grade at the age of 5, skipped the fourth grade, entered high school at 12 and graduated a few weeks before his sixteenth birthday.”

In an interview at the 2005 meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany, Sherwood described his post-­high school graduation decision to attend OWU, “After graduation from high school in 1943, almost all of my male classmates immediately entered the military service,” Rowland said. “However, because I was still well under the compulsory draft age of 18, I enrolled at Ohio Wesleyan and attended the university year­-round for the next two years. During these war years, only 30 or 40 civilian males were on campus, plus about 200 naval officer trainees and 1,000 women. With so few men available, I played on the university basketball and baseball teams and wrote much of the sports page for the university newspaper.”

A model man for many, if not all Ohio Wesleyan students, Sherwood Rowland’s contributions to the world remind us all of our potential.

Now, Delaware. Next, Oslo?

Nobel Prize winner to be honored at Heritage Day

Frank Sherwood Rowland. Photo courtesy of nobelprize.org.
Frank Sherwood Rowland. Photo courtesy of nobelprize.org.

Ohio Wesleyan alumnus and 1995 Nobel Prize winner Frank Sherwood Rowland will be honored at the next Heritage Day celebration in November.

Sherwood, who was born in Delaware, Ohio, won the 1995 Nobel Prize for his work in chemistry alongside fellow chemists Mario Molina and Paul Crutzen.

With the help of Molina, he discovered that propellants from chlorofluorocarbons sped up the breaking down of the ozone layer. Their discovery prompted international change in the chemical industry.

Heritage Day is celebrated on, or as close to Nov. 13 as possible, to commemorate the first day of classes at OWU in 1844.

A committee works all year to put together a day-long event that will inform students about the history of Ohio Wesleyan.

According to heritageday.owu.edu, “Each year a new topic is celebrated bringing together faculty, students, staff, and friends of the University through the Heritage Day committee.”

“We’re still determining next year’s program, but more than likely it will focus on environmental and sustainability issues in honor of Rowland’s work,” said Heritage Day committee member Chad Johns, the director of mission in the Chaplain’s Office.

Rowland graduated high school before turning 16. He went on to attend OWU and graduate in 1948 at the age of 18. He earned a degree in chemistry, math and physics. During his time as a Battling Bishop he was also the sports editor of The Transcript, played on the basketball team and was a member of Delta Tau Delta.

“I think he came back around 10 years ago, maybe a little less, to talk to the fraternity,” said junior Bill Milanick, the current president of Delta Tau Delta.

Milanick went on to say that Rowland – as well as Branch Rickey – are the two brightest people to come out of Delta Tau Delta.

“It’s inspiring, I won’t say we try to live up to his name because I don’t think we are going to win any Nobel Prizes but his accomplishments impress upon us to be great,” Milanick said.