RALPH LIGGETT EVANS, MEDALIST 45 years after this was marketed came the mercaptan cold wave solution. Patents on this have been granted in Australia and almost every coun- try in Europe, but the U.S. Patent has not yet been issued. This illus- trates some of the troubles an in- ventor can get into with the U.S. Patent Office, a condition with which too many of us are familiar. During World War II, Evans be- came a dollar-a-year man on im- portant chemical warfare research projects. In addition he operated four factories having 1200 employees engaged in war work. Production covered such items as gas-detector kits, protective ointments for gas warfare, insect repellents, pro- phylactic ointments, and extremely stable peroxides for use as anti- lewisite. At the same time his research was augmented to conduct investigations varying from ex- plosives to chemical warfare. Con- fidential research for the Army and Navy is still being continued for the government in the Evans Labora- tory. A staff of 80 research people devote their time in part to this, but also to other fields of organic applications and to research on cosmetics, Evans' first love in the research field. PERSONAL HISTORY But Evans continued to negate Horace Greeley and go East. Be- cause of his extensive business in- terests in Europe, he has traveled there a great deal and, in fact, used to spend three to four months out of the year there before the war. Which leads me to call him a name. He's a gourmet. He has an edu- cated taste in wines and is a real connoisseur, knowing the various types, the good vintage years of each, and how to distinguish these by taste. In every city he knows. the spot where good food is obtain- able. Another evidence of European cultur• as part of his background is. his use of the monocle. This is not an affectation. Unfortunately, in an explosion while conducting organic research in his laboratory at Co- lumbia University, Evans sustaineda face injury with permanent damage- to one eye. Wearing a dark mono- cle to cover this eye is now an old habit. Evans is an exceptionally strong and untiring worker. I shudder- when I think of the detail that I know he follows in administratior• of his work. During World War II,. the records show that he sometimes. put in as much as 150 hours of work per week. Although he does not put in that much time now, he is still the first to arrive at his office- in Manhattan and the last to leave it. He also works or probably he. calls it "play" at his home in Bay- shore, Long Island. There, it is a not uncommon sight to see him out- in the field stripped to the waist• with bare feet, pushing a hand plow- that a horse would have a hard time pulling. Although Evans keeps a gardener, he insists on doing all of the heavy work himself. That iz why he can leave his corporation in his office when he goes home.

46 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS Evans is a powerful swimmer and loves the water. His home in Bay- shore is described as being sur- rounded by water on three sides-- north, northeast, and underneath, since the water table is only four feet underground. Perhaps his love of the water is explained by the fact that where he grew up, he never saw a body of water bigger than a yard wide and an inch deep. He keeps a seagoing boat sword- fishing is one of his favorite sports. Evans has one of the most active minds that I have ever known, and can discuss intelligently' almost any subject you can raise•navigation, astronomy, fish life, birds, ac- countancy, or what have you. At one time he was a director of field studies for the National Botanical Survey, leading a field party of 10 in studying algae of the lower Mississippi River Valley. He has run the gamut of business courses from advertising, to salesmanship, to business law. While still at Columbia, Evans fell in love with Professor Bogert's secretary, the charming and at- tractive Nancy C. Lawrence. Since Nancy comes from a very old, established family in North Caro- lina, Ralph likes to tease her by saying when he married her, he married everybody in the state, both black and white. The Evans' first two children were a son, Ralph, Jr., and a daughter, Nancy E. These two grew up with the delightful nicknames of Squedunk and Bus, respectively. Accordingly an Evans yacht was christened Squedunkenbu,-. When people used to inquire what language that was supposed to be, Ralph re- plied that it was good old Arkansas. The third and youngest child, Lawrence W., was not yet born when this particular boat was named. In fact, he has been de- scribed by his parents as an encore, not on the program. Lawrence is about ten years younger than his sister Nancy. Ralph's love for the water has been passed on to his older sonm the younger one is barely over the age of hating water behind his ears. Last year Ralph, Jr., was chosen to represent the United States in the Olympics to sail a one-man sailboat, the Firefly Class. The races in England with many countries com- peting, included the Scandinavians, where the children are practically brought up on the water. The winner was judged on six races although seven were sailed. Den- mark came in first, the United States second, in other words, Ralph, Jr. Last summer your med- alist took his first vacation in years, to go out to Ralph, Jr.'s wedding in Kansas City. Mrs. Evans is a remarkable woman in that she has never tried to make her husband fit into any special pattern, social or otherwise, but has always encouraged and aided him in doing just what he liked. One of his hobbies is the invention of gadgets. He loves gadgets of all kinds. In his Long Island Home, he has a well-equipped machine shop in the garage where