SAS HISTORY

FOUNDING OF THE SOCIETY

     In 1954 a number of spectroscopists, recognizing the existence of several regional societies of spectroscopists, organized a committee to promote a stronger exchange of information among these societies.  The efforts of this committee resulted in the formation of the Federation of Spectroscopic Societies on March 1, 1956 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

     The temporary officers at this meeting were Dr. Eugene Rosenbaum, Chairman, and Mrs. Sarah Degenkolb, Secretary.  The Societies adopted a Constitution at this meeting.  Five other societies were represented at this meeting including the Canadian Association of Applied Spectroscopy.

     The officers elected for one year were Mr. Edwin Jaycox, Chairman; Miss Grace Marsh, Vice Chairman; and Rev. James J. Devlin, S.J., Secretary-Treasurer.

     On March 7, 1957, the Federation held a meeting of the representatives of the member societies in Pittsburgh.  The officers elected were Mr. William J. Poehlman, President; Mrs. Sarah Degenkolb, Vice President; and Rev. James J. Devlin, S.J., Secretary-Treasurer.  The major business of that meeting was the appointment of a fact finding committee to consider the advisability of founding a National Society of Applied Spectroscopy.  After due inquiry, this committee reported a widespread interest in forming a national society and proceeded to draft a constitution.

     The enthusiastic response to the proposal of a national society and the expressed willingness of the New York area group to relinquish its name and journal, culminated in the foundation of a national Society for Applied Spectroscopy at a meeting of the Federation of Spectroscopic Societies in New York on November 4, 1958.  On November 7, 1960, the Society was incorporated in the State of Pennsylvania with its legal residence at Mellon Institute, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a nonprofit corporation.

APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY JOURNAL

     In 1958 the New York Society for Applied Spectroscopy donated its journal, Applied Spectroscopy, then in Volume 12, to the National Society and published it for the Society during that year.  In 1960, the Society for Applied Spectroscopy assumed the responsibility for publishing the journal.  Dr. Frederick Strong III, who was editor at the time of transfer, continued in that capacity until 1961.

     In 1966 the Society became an affiliate member of the American Institute of Physics.  At that time, the responsibility for publication of Applied Spectroscopy was assumed by the American Institute of Physics, but the editorial management remained under the Society for Applied Spectroscopy.  In addition to publishing and printing the Journal, the American Institute of Physics also processed membership forms and handled other routine matters such as balloting and dues collection.  In 1971, the Society retained its affiliation with AIP but transferred the printing and publication of the journal, together with the managerial services to The Williams & Wilkins/Waverly Press Company.  Subscription and managerial services were transferred to the office of the Executive Secretary of the Society in January 1982.  In 1984, the printing services were transferred to Allen Press, Inc. in Lawrence, Kansas.

LOGO

     The logo was designed in 1960 by Rockwell Kent, III.

LOCAL SECTIONS

     There were seventeen original founding sections. These include:

Baltimore-Washington, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Delaware Valley, Detroit, Indiana, Milwaukee, New England, New York, Niagara Frontier, North California, Ohio Valley, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Southeastern, and Southern California

NATIONAL MEETINGS

     In 1962 the Baltimore-Washington Section was host to an International Conference on Spectroscopy.  The Tenth Colloquium Spectroscopicum Internationale was also designated the First National Meeting of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy.  The surplus funds from this meeting were donated to establish a fund for use by other Sections of the Society sponsoring national meetings in succeeding year.  National meetings have been held annually since that time.

     In 1974 the Society began holding its Annual National Meeting in conjunction with the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies (FACSS).

Click here for even more information on the Early Years of SAS.

 

 

Presidents

1957 William J. Poehlman

1960 Sarah H. Degenkolb

1961 Neil E. Gordon, Jr.

1962 John Hansen

1963 Donald R. Johnson

1964 Charles R. Pepper

1965 John R. Ferraro

1966 Marvin W. Skougstad

1967 Herman A. Szymanski

1968 Bruce M. Larue

1969 C.L. Grant

1970 Jeanette G. Grasselli

1971 Leopold May

1972 R.K. Skogerboe

1973 G. Vernon Wheeler

1974 Marvin Margoshes

1975 John J. McClafferty, Jr.

1976 Jack E. Katon

1977 Robert J. Manning

1978 Edward G. Brame, Jr.

1979 Michael L. Parsons

1980 Philip F. Kane

1981 John F. Jackovitz

1982 Theodore Rains

1983 James D. Winefordner

1984 O. Karmie Galle

1985 Jacob Fuchs

1986 Patricia B. Roush

1987 James A. Holcombe

1988 Richard F. Browner

1989 Alvin Bober

1990 S. Roy Koirtyohahn

1991 Gary M. Hieftje

1992 Truman C. Waugh

1993 M. Bonner Denton

1994 Peter R. Griffiths

1995 David Coleman

1996 Nancy Miller-Ihli

1997 Kathryn S. Kalasinsky

1998 Joseph Caruso

1999 Robin L. Garrell

2000 Rina K. Dukor

2001 Vasilis Gregoriou

2002 Rachael Barbour

2003 Laurence A. Nafie

2004 Robert G. Michel

2005 Cynthia Mahan

2006 Rebecca Dittmar

2007 James de Haseth

2008 John Chalmers

2009 Jon Carnahan

2010 Fred LaPlant

2011 Curt Marcott

2012 Mary Kate Donais

2013 Katherine Bakeev

2014 Ian R. Lewis

2015 Diane Parry

2016 Ellen Miseo

2017 Greg Klunder

2018 Mike Carrabba

2019 Robert Lascola

Secretaries

1957–1964 James J. Devlin, S.J.

1965–1967 Jan K. Hurwitz

1968–1970 E.R. Shuster

1971–1973 Andrew F. Rekus

1974–1976 Jae Y. Hwang

1977–1982 Genevieve M. Bonini

1983–1985 Constance B. Sobel

1986–1988 Truman C. Waugh

1989–1991 Karen Wolnik

1992–1994 Jean Kane

1995–1997 John Koropchak

1998–2000 Alexander Scheeline

2000–2003 Jon Carnahan

2004–2006 David C. Lankin

2007–2009 Timothy Keiderling

2010–2011 Katherine Bakeev

2012 Michelle Megan

2013–2014 Robert Lascola

2014–2017 Gloria Story

2018 Ian R. Lewis

Treasurers

1957–1961 Edwin S. Hodge

1962–1964 Isabel H. Tipton

1965–1966 Walthew T. Barnes

1967–1969 William F. Ulrich

1970–1973 Elma Lanterman

1974 Philip Kane

1975–1977 James R. Lindsay

1978–1980 Marion Skeadas

1981–1983 Andrew F. Rekus

1984–1986 Michael S. Epstein

1987–1989 Jan K. Hurwitz

1990–1995 Edgar S. Peck

1996–1998 Marvin Margoshes

1999–2001 Mary (Tungol) Carrabba

2002–2004 Deborah Bradshaw

2005–2007 D. Christian Hassell

2008–2013 Paul Bourassa

2014–2016 D. Bruce Chase

2017 Diane Parry

Parliamentarians

1969–1982 Abram Davis

1983–1985 F. Monte Evens

1986–1988 O. Karmie Galle

1989–1991 Eileen M. Skelly-Frame

1992–1995 Peggy Dean

1996–1998 Rina K. Dukor

1999–2000 Laurence A. Nafie

2000–2002 Augustus Way Fountain, III

2002–2004 Rebecca Dittmar

2005–2006 Deborah Bradshaw

2006–2007 Brandye Smith-Goettler

2008 Jessica Jarman 

2009–2011 Diane Parry

2012–2015 John Wasylyk

2015 Ben Manard

Marketing Chair

2017 Andrew Whitley

Student Representatives to the Executive Committee

2002–2003 Paige Eagan

2004–2005 Debbie Martinez

2006–2007 Lacey Averett

2008–2009 Michelle Meighan

2010–2011 John-David McElderry

2012–2013 Ryan Schmeling

2014–2015 Chad Atkins

2016–2017 David Bryce

2018 Megan Stanton Schmale

Newsletter Editors

1974–1980 Andrew F. Rekus

1981–1983 James R. Lindsay

1984–1995 John A. Dean

1996–1998 Michael Epstein

1999–2004 Marvin Margoshes

2005–2014 David Butcher

2015–2017 Fred Haibach

2018 Xiaoyun (Shawn) Chen

Executive Assistant/Director

1982–1988 Donna L. Welch

1988–1996 Jo Ann Brown

1996 Bonnie A. Saylor

Journal Staff

Editors-in-Chief

1946–1955 George L. Buc

1958–1961 Frederick C. Strong III

1962–1964 Leopold May

1965–1967 James E. Paterson

1968–1974 John R. Ferraro

1975–1993 William G. Fateley

1994–1997 James A. Holcombe

1998–2009 Joel Harris

2009–2012 Peter R. Griffiths

2012–2018 Michael W. Blades

2018 Sergei Kazarian

Editors

1986–1997 D. Bruce Chase

1998–2009 Paul Farnsworth

2009–2012 Michael W. Blades

2012–2017 Peter R. Griffiths

2017–2018 Sergei Kazarian

2018 Michael W. Blades

Co-Managing Editors

1989–1993 O. Karmie Galle and Truman C. Waugh

Production and Composition Editor/Managing Editors

2001–2012 Rebecca Airmet

2012 Kristin S. MacDonald

Business Managers

1960–1964 James J. Devlin, S.J.

1965–1981 Alvin Bober

1989–1993 Robert H. Bell

Publishing Services/Printing

1966–1970 American Institute of Physics

1971–1982 Williams and Wilkins/Waverly Press

1984–2015 Allen Press, Inc.

2016 Sage Publications Inc.