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THE WELCH FOUNDATION FACT SHEET
| Brief History: |
Robert Alonzo Welch was born February 15, 1872, in Newberry, South Carolina. In 1886, at the age of fourteen, he left South Carolina and, alone, came to Houston, Texas to establish his adult life and career.
He became interested in the oil and sulfur business during their early development and, through sound judgement, untiring energy and patience, he amassed a substantial fortune. He never married, but was devoted to his immediate family.
In 1952, at eighty years of age, he died and left an estate of approximately $25,000,000 to be used to create a charitable Foundation to support research in chemistry.
Through Mr. Welch's benevolence, The Welch Foundation currently supports a broad educational program designed to benefit mankind through chemical research.
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| Purposes: |
- Research Grants - Currently 27 Texas universities and colleges have grants with approximately 1,500 persons involved in research under the program.
- University Chairs - The Foundation has participated in sponsoring 43 chairs in chemistry and related sciences.
- Departmental Grants - The program encourages students at 46 colleges and universities to study chemistry and to continue into graduate work, industry and other aspects of chemistry.
- Scholarships - The Foundation, through the Texas Interscholastic League Foundation, annually supports Texas high school graduates studying chemistry.
- Annual Conference on Chemical Research - Scientists from throughout the world attend a two-day Foundation-sponsored conference on research in chemistry.
- Welch Award in Chemistry - Each year, the Foundation awards grants to scientists who have made important chemical research contributions which have a significant, positive influence on mankind. The Welch Award consists of a certificate, a gold medallion and $300,000. In 2010, the co-recipients will be Drs. JoAnne Stubbe, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Christopher T. Walsh, Harvard Medical School.
- Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research – This award honors young scientists in Texas whose research accomplishments advance chemical understanding. The Hackerman Award consists of a certificate, glass sculpture of a rising star and $100,000. In 2010, the recipient was Dr. Kim Orth, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
- Publications - Annual Report
- Other Program - The Foundation sponsors a summer research program for talented pre-college chemistry students.
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| Directors and Officers: |
The Board of Directors is charged with the stewardship of the Foundation. Current directors and officers are:
Ernest H. Cockrell, Chairman and Director Wilhelmina E. (Beth) Robertson, Vice Chairman and Director Charles W. Tate, Treasurer and Director James T. Hackett, Secretary and Director Dennis Hendrix, Director Norbert Dittrich, President
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| Scientific Advisory Board: |
The SAB reviews the merits of all research projects in the grant program and also recommends to the directors candidates for the Welch Award in Chemistry. Current members are:
James L. Kinsey, Chairman; D. R. Bullard-Welch Foundation Professor Emeritus of Science, Rice University
Peter B. Dervan, Professor of Chemistry, California Institute of Technology
Marye Anne Fox, Chancellor, University of California, San Diego
Joseph L. Goldstein, Regental Professor and Chairman of Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Roger D. Kornberg, Winzer Professor in Medicine, Stanford University
Yuan T. Lee, President Emeritus and Distinguished Research Fellow, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan and University Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley
Richard R. Schrock, Frederick G. Keyes Professor of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peter G. Schultz, Professor of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute
Ahmed H. Zewail, Linus Pauling Chair Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Physics, California Institute of Technology and Director, National Science Foundation Laboratory for Molecular Sciences
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| Address Information: |
The Welch Foundation Mr. Norbert Dittrich, President 5555 San Felipe, Suite 1900 Houston, Texas 77056-2730 Phone: 713.961.9884 Fax: 713.961.5168 Web site: www.welch1.org |
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