Charles Gilbert Overberger (October 12, 1920 – March 17, 1997) was an American chemist, specialising in

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

research and education.

Biography

Overberger was born in

Barnesboro, Pennsylvania Barnesboro, Pennsylvania was a borough (Pennsylvania), borough located in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The Borough of Barnesboro evolved from a tract of land which was rich in timber and coal resources. The tract of land, located i ...

on October 12, 1920. In 1941, he was awarded a B.Sc. at the Pennsylvania State University where he was a member of Sigma Pi fraternity,

Phi Eta Sigma Phi Eta Sigma () is an American freshman honor society. Founded at the University of Illinois on March 22, 1923, it is the oldest and largest freshman honor society and has chartered three hundred and eighty-six chapters throughout the United Stat ...

honor society, and Phi Lambda Upsilon honor society. He received his Ph.D. at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

in 1944, where he continued to work as a research assistant for two years. From 1946 to 1947, he had a DuPont Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, then became assistant professor of chemistry at the

Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United Sta ...

. In 1951, he became professor and associate director of the Polymer Research Institute. Between 1955 and 1963, he was chairman of the chemistry department, and from 1964 to 1967 dean of science and director of the Polymer Research Institute. He was president of the American Chemical Society in 1967. After that, he joined the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

as professor and chair of chemistry, where he also acted as vice president for research from 1972 to 1983. He founded the Macromolecular Research Center in 1968, and was director until 1987. He retired two years later. Overberger died in Riverview, Ann Arbor, Michigan, of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

on March 17, 1997.

Awards and honors

Charles Lathrop Parsons Award The Charles Lathrop Parsons Award is usually a biennial award that recognizes outstanding public service by a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Recipients are chosen by the American Chemical Society Board of Directors, from a list of ...

of the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

(1978) * International Award of the

Society of Plastics Engineers About SPE—Inspiring Plastics Professionals SPE—Inspiring Plastics Professionals is a global professional membership organization dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and education for professionals employed in the plastics industry. ...

(1979) *

Howard N. Potts Medal The Howard N. Potts Medal was one of The Franklin Institute Awards for science and engineering award presented by the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named for Howard N. Potts. The first Howard N. Potts Medal was awarded in ...

from the

Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memori ...

(1982) *

's Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award (1985)

References

1920 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American chemists Neurological disease deaths in Michigan Deaths from Parkinson's disease Howard N. Potts Medal recipients Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni New York University faculty Pennsylvania State University alumni People from Cambria County, Pennsylvania Presidents of the American Chemical Society University of Illinois alumni University of Michigan faculty Polytechnic Institute of New York University faculty {{Chemist-stub