October 22, 1999
Contact: John Scarffe, KU Endowment, (785) 832-7336.
LAWRENCE -- A University of Kansas professor who is known for his leadership in and beyond the chemistry classroom has been named the recipient of the Chancellors Club Career Teaching Award for 1999.
John A. "Jack" Landgrebe, professor of chemistry, will receive the award tonight at the 22nd annual meeting of the Chancellors Club at the Lawrence Holiday Inn Holidome.
"I am very flattered by this award," Landgrebe said. "While teaching has its own built-in rewards in terms of appreciation from the students you have helped, it is always nice to receive public recognition."
The Chancellors Club, established in 1977 by the Kansas University Endowment Association, is KU's major-donor organization. The Club's annual Career Teaching Award honors a senior KU faculty member who exemplifies the university's commitment to outstanding teaching. KU faculty members, students and alumni submit nominations for the $5,000 award.
Landgrebe said one of the things he likes most about KU's Department of Chemistry is that professors teach at a variety of levels rather than specializing in undergraduate or graduate teaching as is done at some universities.
"Interchanging courses regularly is a way of rejuvenating yourself and getting involved with a completely different group of students," he said. Yet he admits to being partial to undergraduate students at the sophomore and junior level because "they are ready to absorb a lot of ideas. When that light goes on, they really show their enthusiasm. It's a lot of fun."
Landgrebe has been research mentor for 22 graduate and postdoctoral students and 27 undergraduates. In letters of support, former students praised him for his enthusiasm, organization, availability and commitment. Ronald D. Mathis, now retired from Phillips Petroleum Co. in Bartlesville, Okla., wrote: "As a researcher Dr. Landgrebe taught me to be inquisitive, to think 'outside of the box' and to look for the unexpected. I attribute to him my success in making discoveries leading to over 50 U.S. patents during my career."
Landgrebe's leadership at KU extends beyond the department, of which he was chair from 1970 to 1980. Richard S. Givens, KU chemistry professor, wrote that Landgrebe is "one of the most highly respected leaders and 'doers' on this campus, whether the issues are in chemistry, environmental health, space or professional development."
In a 10-year project, Landgrebe spearheaded planning efforts for a new undergraduate science teaching laboratory building at KU, which is now a top priority on the university's building list. The planned facility for undergraduate classes and teaching laboratories would serve students in a number of the sciences, including biology, geology, physics and chemistry.
"It was mainly through Jack's initiative that this effort got off the ground," wrote Kristin Bowman-James, professor and chair of chemistry. Landgrebe's colleague Barbara Schowen, professor of chemistry, said his work for the new building demonstrated the genuine consideration he had for KU students.
Colleagues also credited Landgrebe with leadership in improving KU's undergraduate organic laboratory courses and the physical lab itself. Landgrebe is a national leader in innovation and safety in the organic lab, and a textbook he first published in 1973 is now in its fourth edition. "Theory and Practice in the Organic Laboratory: Microscale and Standard Scale Experiments" draws on his pioneering work in the development of small-scale experiments.
Landgrebe joined KU's faculty in 1962 after earning a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana. His research involves the mechanisms of organic reactions - focusing on "molecules with fleeting existence that undergo rapid and sometimes unusual reactions" - with possible applications in the development of synthetic materials and pharmaceuticals. He has published 48 journal articles.
Landgrebe's wife, Carolyn Thomson Landgrebe, worked as a reading specialist in the Lawrence public schools until her recent retirement. The couple has two grown children and four grandchildren.
The KU Endowment Association is an independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fund-raising and fund-management foundation for the University of Kansas. Founded in 1891, it is the oldest foundation of its type at a public university in the United States and one of the largest.
Story by Val Alexander Renault