Centennial Celebration For ACS Virginia Section

The ACS Virginia Section celebrated its 100th anniversary with a gala event on Oct. 24.

The section received its charter from ACS on April 4, 1915. The Virginia Chemists Club and its founders worked for six years to become the 49th local section of ACS. The section’s territory was the whole state of Virginia, with the exception of one county, but two separate local sections were created from counties within the state.

The section is now composed of 54 counties and 16 cities from the northwestern tip through central and southern Virginia to the North Carolina border, and it has more than 1,300 members. In addition to receiving numerous national awards for its programs and activities, the section hosted an ACS national meeting and three southeastern regional meetings.

During the gala, the local section announced a new award, the R. Gerald Bass Award for Exceptional Service, which honors R. Gerald Bass, who has been a member of the section for more than 57 years, was a recipient of the section’s Distinguished Service Award in 1979, and is an ACS Fellow.

In addition, the Virginia Section received recognition from Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), Mayor of the City of Richmond Dwight C. Jones (D), Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), and the board of supervisors of Chesterfield County.