Server: Microsoft-IIS/3.0 Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 04:41:46 GMT Content-Type: text/html Accept-Ranges: bytes Last-Modified: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 19:33:46 GMT Content-Length: 16613 Founder: Dr. Arnold O. Beckman

Beckman
Our Founder

Dr. Arnold Orville Beckman

1900 -



Dr. Arnold O. Beckman

Academic Affiliations | Philanthropy | Industry Associations | Civic Activities | Awards | Patents

Arnold O. Beckman, founder-chairman emeritus of Beckman Instruments, Inc., represents nearly a century of outstanding scientific achievements. Considered one of the top five inventors of scientific instruments, Dr. Beckman created devices that revolutionized the study and understanding of human biology, ultimately saving countless lives around the world.

Dr. Beckman once said, "There is no satisfactory substitute for excellence." More than just words, this philosophy guides his life and helped shape scientific history. Throughout his legacy of excellence, Dr. Beckman has assumed many roles -- that of educator, inventor, civic leader, philanthropist and humanitarian. The foundation of his highly decorated career has always been his personal integrity and his love for science.

Born in the small farming community of Cullom, Ill., on April 10, 1900, young Arnold Beckman's interest in science was first piqued upon finding a chemistry book in the family attic. Not long after reading Steele's Fourteen Weeks in Science, originally published in 1861, he converted a tool shed built for him by his father for his 10th birthday into a makeshift chemistry lab.

Dr. Beckman began a more serious study of science at the University of Illinois, where he received his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1922, followed by his master's degree in physical chemistry one year later. Throughout his school years, he also tapped into his creative talents by playing piano in silent movies to help support his family and fund his education. Beckman went on to receive his doctorate in photochemistry at the California Institute of Technology (1928), where he also served as a professor.

While he was still teaching, Dr. Beckman founded what eventually became Beckman Instruments, Inc. in 1935 with the invention of the acidimeter. Produced for a former classmate at a Southern California citrus processing plant, Beckman designed the acidimeter to measure acidity levels in lemon juice. The acidimeter was later called a pH meter and quickly became an indispensable tool in analytical chemistry. The invention earned him a place in the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1987, joining other great inventors like Thomas Edison and Alexander Bell. Dr. Beckman once stated, "When you're faced with the necessity to do something, that's a stimulus to invention. If [my classmate] hadn't come in with his lemon juice problem, chances are I never in the world would have thought about making a pH meter."

Dr. Beckman continued to develop and manufacture scientific instruments, leading to the release of the DUĆ Spectrophotometer in 1940. Considered the scientific equivalent of the Model T, this product not only simplified tedious laboratory procedures, it also increased analytical precision and revolutionized chemical analysis.

These extraordinary contributions led President Bush to award Dr. Beckman the National Medal of Science in 1989 for his leadership in analytical instrumentation development and for his deep concern for the vitality of the nation's scientific enterprises. He was also nationally recognized under the Reagan administration with the 1989 Presidential Citizens Medal for his exemplary deeds of service and the 1988 National Medal of Technology for outstanding technological contributions to the United States.

Dr. Beckman's love of science and spirit of invention lives on in Beckman Instruments, Inc., a company with modest beginnings that today is one of the world's leading manufacturers of instruments and suppliers to the clinical diagnostics and life sciences markets. Currently, the company has about 6,200 employees in 35 facilities worldwide and operates in more than 120 countries and territories. Even though the company has made a wide variety of products over the years, including a "rock smasher" for a Mars robot mission and an electronic radio-like component called a Helipot, it has never strayed very far from Dr. Beckman's original focus on "the chemistry of life."

"The past years have been rewarding for me in many ways," said Dr. Beckman, during the Golden Anniversary celebration for Beckman Instruments, Inc. "Perhaps the greatest reward is the knowledge that Beckman products have contributed and are contributing to the progress of mankind."

Academic Affiliations

Throughout his outstanding career, Dr. Beckman constantly remained active in his educational and research pursuits. In 1953, he was the first alumnus named to Caltech's Board of Trustees and served as chairman from 1964 to 1974, at which time he was elected chairman emeritus. Caltech honored Dr. Beckman with its Distinguished Alumni Award in 1984 and Millikan Award in 1985.

Dr. Beckman was a member of the Board of Overseers of the University of California at Irvine, the President's Club of the University of Illinois and the Rockefeller University Council. He was a member of the advisory boards of California State University at Fullerton and Chapman College in Orange, Calif., and a regional trustee of Mills College in Oakland, Calif. Dr. Beckman held honorary LL.D. degrees from the University of California, Riverside; Loyola University Los Angeles and Pepperdine University. He held honorary doctor of science degrees from the University of Illinois, Chapman College and Whittier College in California, Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill., and Rockefeller University, N.Y. He also held an honorary doctor of humane letters degrees from the California State University of Fullerton, Calif., and the Illinois State University in Normal, Ill. "I've always enjoyed explaining things, whether it's called teaching or anything else," says Dr. Beckman. "It's a challenge to my skill in trying to convey what's on my mind."

Philanthropy

Dr. Beckman is deeply grateful to the scientific community that nurtured his success and, consequently, directs his philanthropic efforts to the chemical and life sciences.

Through the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, Dr. and Mrs. Beckman have generously contributed to the advancement of education and research. The Beckman Young Investigators Program, a grant-making program sponsored by the Foundation, provides research support to the most promising young faculty members in the early stages of their academic careers in the chemical and life sciences. Other Foundation gifts have benefited a number of medical and scientific institutions, including Beckman Auditorium, the Mabel and Arnold Beckman Laboratories of Behavioral Biology, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Laboratory of Chemical Synthesis, and the Beckman Institute all at the California Institute of Technology; the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois; the Beckman Research Institute at the City of Hope Hospital and Medical Center in Duarte, Calif.; the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic at the University of California in Irvine; the Beckman Vision Center at the University of California in San Francisco; the Arnold Beckman Laboratory and Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Chemical Sciences at the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in La Jolla, Calif.; Stanford University's Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine; the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering in Irvine; the Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry in Philadelphia, Penn.; and the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Neuroscience Education and Research Facility at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, N.Y.

Rockefeller University in New York established the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Professorship at the University's Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. Caltech established the Arnold O. Beckman Professorship of Chemistry.

"I accumulated my wealth by selling instruments to scientists," says a humble Dr. Beckman of his vast philanthropic associations. "So I thought it would be appropriate to make contributions to scientists, and that's been my number one guideline for charity."

Industry Associations

Dr. Beckman is a founder and life member of the Instrument Society of America, which in 1960 established the Arnold O. Beckman Award for outstanding technological contribution to instrument design. In 1981, Dr. Beckman received the Society's first Life Achievement Award in honor of his career achievements in instrumentation and service to the community.

Dr. Beckman is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Chemical Society, the Newcomen Society, and an honorary member of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry. In 1977, the Association established annual Arnold O. Beckman Conferences in Clinical Chemistry to examine critical topics among clinical scientists and practicing physicians.

The American Association of Engineering Societies presented him with the 1981 Hoover Medal for his leadership in the development of precision measurement and analytical instrumentation and for his deep and abiding concern for human values, reflected in his career-long participation in education, civic and public affairs.

Dr. Beckman is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Association of Clinical Scientists, which awarded him its Diploma of Honor in 1982. He is an honorary fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Benjamin Franklin Fellow of Great Britain's Royal Society of Arts.

Civic Activities

A man of strong moral and ethical principles, Dr. Beckman has always been compelled to give back to the community at large. One of his ongoing concerns was the growing problem of air pollution. He was instrumental in initiating the studies on the sources of photochemical smog and later helped develop control regulations and warning procedures for Los Angeles County.

In 1953, Dr. Beckman served as chairman of a special technical committee on air pollution appointed by the governor of California. The committee's report on scientific findings and its recommendations for smog reduction served as a standard reference for later air pollution control programs. In 1970, President Nixon named Dr. Beckman to a four-year term on the Federal Air Quality Control Board.

He was named Outstanding Citizen of the Year (1972) by the Orange Coast, Calif., Community College District for his continuing pollution control work in the state and the nation, as well as for the development of new instruments that have advanced man's knowledge. Dr. Beckman was a member of the Board of Overseers of the House Ear Institute, a director of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian and the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation. He was also an honorary trustee of the California Museum Foundation.

Dr. Beckman was past president of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce (1956) and the California State Chamber of Commerce (1967). He was a director of the Security Pacific National Bank, the Southern California Edison Co., Continental Airlines, SCM Corporation and Stanford Research Institute. He also served as a director of the Automobile Club of Southern California and the Southern California Symphony Association, and as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the System Development Foundation. His long interest in the promotion of good government led him to help found the Lincoln Club of Orange County, which he served as chairman from its inception in 1962 until 1978 when he was elected chairman emeritus.

Dr. Beckman was named "Headliner of the Year" by the Orange County Press Club, and he served as Southern California chairman for Radio Free Europe and the Orange County Heart Fund. He was named Humanitarian of the Year by the North Orange County YMCA in 1985. Today, at age 96, Dr. Beckman remains active in the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. He lives in Southern California, where he continues to enjoy good health.

Awards

1957 Honorary Fellow of The American Institute of Chemists (AIC)
1960 "Illini" Achievement Award, University of Illinois
1966 Business Statesman Award, Harvard Business School of Southern California
1971 Industrialist of the Year Award, California Museum of Science and Industry
1974 Outstanding Achievement in Business Management, Southern California School of Business Administration
1974 SAMA Award, Scientific Apparatus Makers Association
1974 Service Through Chemistry Award, American Chemical Society
1979 Private Enterprise Award, Pepperdine University
1981 Distinguished Community Service Award, Americanism Education League
1981 ISCO Award, University of Nebraska
1982 Man of Science Award, Achievement Rewards for College Scientists' (ARCS's) Foundation
1982 Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement
1983 Rock of Free Enterprise Award, Economic Development Corporation of Orange County'
1983 Public Affairs Award, Coro Foundation
1984 Outstanding Philanthropist Award, National Society of Fund Raising Executives
1984 Vision Award, Luminaires (a support group for the Estelle Doheny Eye Foundation of Los Angeles)
1987 Vermilye Medal (the first of the Benjamin Franklin National Medals), the Franklin Institute
1987 National Inventors Hall of Fame, Washington, D.C.
1988 National Medal of Technology
1989 Henry Townley Heald Award, Illinois Institute of Technology
1989 Charles Lathrop Parsons Award, American Chemical Society
1989 National Medal of Science
1989 Presidential Citizens Medal

More Recent Honors:
- Bower Award for Business Leadership, The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia
- High Tech Industry's Good Scout Award, Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America
- Achievement Award for Excellence, Center for Excellence in Education in Washington, D.C.
- The Order of Lincoln, the State of Illinois

Patents Issued to Arnold O. Beckman

Patent No. Title

1,684,659 Signaling Device
2,038,706 Inking Reel
2,041,740 Inking Device
2,058,761 Apparatus for Testing Acidity (pH meter)
2,277,287 Coating Materials such as Paper Bread Wrappers
2,302,097 Swing Spout Device for Dispensing Liquids
2,348,103 Soil Surveying for Oil Deposits
2,351,579 Method and Apparatus for Proportioning
2,351,580 Method and Apparatus for Proportioning
2,454,986 Variable Resistance Device (Helipot)
2,473,048 Variable Resistance Unit
2,613,126 Recording Apparatus for Recording Gas Concentrations in the Atmosphere
2,755,243 Electrochemical Electrode Structure
3,234,540 Meter Pointer Position Monitoring Means Utilizing Heat Absorbing Vane and Thermistors


© 1997 Beckman Instruments, Inc.