Evelyn Algernon Valentine Ebsworth, (14 February 1933 – 16 July 2015) was a British

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

and academic. He was the Crum Brown Professor of Chemistry at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

from 1967 to 1990, and Vice-Chancellor and Warden of

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

from 1990 to 1998.

Early life

Ebsworth was born on 14 February 1933,

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

, in Richmond, Yorkshire, England. His father,

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

Wilfred Ebsworth, served in the military during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was posted to southern Africa. Ebsworth joined him on his posting and, from 1940 to 1945, lived in

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...

and

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. He was educated at schools in many different countries before completing his education as a boarder at Marlborough College, then an all-boys

Private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, England. In 1951, he matriculated into

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

, where he studied chemistry. He graduated with a first class honours

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(BA) degree in 1954. This was promoted to a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

(MA) degree in 1958. He remained at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

to undertake post-graduate studies. He completed his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

(PhD) degree in 1957. His

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

was titled ''The preparation and properties of some silylamines'' and was supervised by Harry Julius Emeléus. During his university studies he was a member of the Cambridge University Liberal Club. He held a number of senior positions, including that of President during the 1954 Lent Term.

Academic career

Ebsworth was a junior research fellow at

, from 1957 to 1959. He spent the last year of the fellowship at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

. In 1959, he moved to Christ's College, Cambridge, where he had been elected a

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

. He was a tutor at Christ's from 1964 to 1967. At university level, he was a demonstrator from 1959 to 1964 and then a lecturer from 1964 to 1967. In 1967, he moved to the

to take up the appointment of Crum Brown Professor of Chemistry. At the time of his appointment he was only 33 years old, unusually young for a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

. He served as dean of the Faculty of Science from 1984 to 1988. In 1990, he moved to

, where he had been appointed vice-chancellor and warden. During his time as vice-chancellor, he oversaw the expansion of the university, including the completion of an additional campus based in

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Val ...

. He retired from academia in 1998, and was appointed

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

by Durham University.

Later life

In 1998, Ebsworth created the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners which accredited expert witnesses. He served as chairman of the council until 2005. From 2002 to 2012, he served as Chairman of Governors of two

private schools A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their financial endowme ...

in Cambridge; St Faith's School and The Leys School. In retirement, he lived in Cambridge, England. He died on 16 July 2015.

Personal life

Ebsworth was twice married. In 1955, he married his first wife, Mary Salter. Together, they had three daughters and one son. Mary died in 1987. In 1990, he married Rose Zuckerman, an American. With this marriage came five stepchildren.

Honours

In 1969, Ebsworth was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

(FRSE) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). He was awarded the 1978 Main Group Chemistry Award by the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society and professional association in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the ...

. In 2002, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) degree by

. This was conferred upon him during a ceremony held at the Stockton campus of the university; a place that he himself had helped create. In 2013, he was awarded an honorary

Doctor of Science A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...

(ScD) degree by the

'in recognition of his major contribution to the growth in the study of Chemistry in Edinburgh'. In the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) 'for services to higher education'.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ebsworth, Evelyn 1933 births 2015 deaths 20th-century British chemists Academics of the University of Edinburgh Vice-chancellors and wardens of Durham University People from Richmond, North Yorkshire Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Fellows of King's College, Cambridge Fellows of Christ's College, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Marlborough College