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Thackray Directorship Endowed

Arnold Thackray

Led by a $1 million challenge gift from the late John C. Haas, CHF has successfully raised $2 million to permanently endow the position of the Arnold Thackray Director of the Othmer Library. The position honors Arnold Thackray, CHF’s founder and first president.  

Thackray, who initially served as executive director and librarian, believed that library materials focused on chemistry and related sciences were central to CHF’s mission. His crowning achievement was the acquisition of the famed Roy G. Neville Historical Chemical Library—roughly 6,000 titles in all.  

Ronald Brashear

Ronald Brashear, who has led CHF’s library, collections, and fellowship programs since 2006, has assumed the title of Arnold Thackray Director of the Othmer Library. “Continued support of the Thackray Director position will enable CHF to make the Othmer Library the leading independent research library in the world to collect, preserve, and study the history of science, technology, medicine, and industry, with an emphasis on chemistry and chemical engineering,” Brashear said.

Contributors to the Thackray Directorship Fund

                                                                                      * deceased

Support the Fund

If you would like to contribute to the Arnold Thackray Directorship Fund, or support the Othmer Library's collections, you may do so with CHF's secure online donation form.