48 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS Medal Award FOLLOWING the annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists in New York on 29th November 1960, a Dinner/Dance was held in the Biltmore Hotel, during which the Honor Medal of the Society was presented to the twelfth medallist, Dr. R_ H. Marriott. Mr. H. J. Amsterdam, the retiring President of the Society, was in the chair, and Mr. M. G. aleNavarre, Chairman of the Medal Award Committee, delivered the following eulogy: ROBERT H. MARRIOTT, MAN AND SCIENTIST M. G. DENAVARRE Yorkshire, situated in the area between the Midlands and Scotland, is divided into three sections or Ridings--East, West and North. West Riding has the greatest population. It includes such towns as Bradford, Sheffield and Leeds. It is an area of heavy industry, of wild, haunting moorlands and beautifal dales, the latter so colourfully engraved for us by the Bront• sisters. It is an area populated by energetic people with a keen sense of humour. The people of this area have an accent all their own--an accent said to be snobbishly patronized by southern Englishmen. Mind you, this area is between the Midlands and Scotland. It is natural that some of the character of the Scot should rub off on the Yorkshireman. This is the environmental and personality background on our Medallist. It will help explain him to you. For Robert Marriott was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, on 30th September 1805, shortly after his father returned to England after spending six years in Canada and the United States. Had not the U.S. import wool r%:mlations been swept away, Frederick Marriott may have stayed in the United States and his children would have cultivated a New Englander's accent. Robert is the fourth child of five, with two brothers and two sisters. It is perhaps well that he did not know early in life that he would never work too hard, a fortune told him free by a gypsy at an Epsom Downs racing party. So he went to school to learn how to earn a living. In 1008 he entered a second- ary school in Leeds, called the Central High School. By 1014, young Robert had decided on a career in science at Leeds University. But as many of us remember, World War I was upon us and our young scientist gave up educa- tion by volunteering for Army duty. A weak heart got him a rejection. But this did not stop our Medallist, for when Bobbie Marriott decides to do something he does it. Because of his technical background he was able to join a Special Brigade handling poison gas. By 1016 he had become a

SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS 49 dispatch rider, quite a soft job even at that time, and in 1917 he was com- missioned as an officer in the Royal Artillery. It was during his tour of military duty that he met Margot Thompson. Mark these dates well, for here is one of the cagey qualities that personifies the Yorkshireman. Having met Margot in 1914, he let her cool off for some fourteen or fifteen months before their next date. Then he did not see her again until he received his commission in 1917. On 3rd July 1918 (about the time of the German march on Paris), he proposed marriage to Margot Thompson and his offer was accepted. So in typical Yorkshire haste Robert married Margot on 2nd October 1922 (over four years later). Yet in all fairness to our honoured guest, we must admit ttmt he returned to Leeds University in 1918 to complete his studies. A Bachelor of Science degree was earned in 1921 a Master's degree in 1922 with a major in the chemistry of leather manufacture. Those of you who can remember, will recall that the first few years after the 1918 Armistice were exceedingly difficult ones for young European people, British youth being no exception. Fortunately, whatever it was, conditions in the country, marriage or a sincere inner craving, subdued though it may have been by circumstances, was brought to the fore by one of the University teachers, a Jack Arkins, who convinced the young graduate to enter into applied scientific fields. During the next eleven years, Robert Marriott worked in the leather trades and on his Doctor of Science degree. In 1933 he put in his thesis and was rewarded with a D.Sc. In 1934 he started work at the Yorkshire Dyeware and Chemical Company, where he remained for the next six years. During this time he was elected President of the Society of Leather Trades Chemists for 1938-9. In 1940 he joined County Laboratories as chief chemist. His title when he retired on 30th September 1960, was "Director of Products Research." During his twenty years tenure at County Laboratories, he moved about between the various researck units of the company culminating with the opening of the new research laboratories at Brentford in November 1959. As a student, Robert Marriott, unlike most of us, liked reciting in class. He has always had an excellent memory and for sheer fun liked mental arithmetic. When anything went wrong in school, Bob was always suspect. Yet he managed to avoid getting caught or punished. His love of arithmetic carried over into physics and chemistry. When Freddy Wells and the organizing group of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists of Great Britain approached our Medallist to become a member, he told them it was a "ruddy foohst-, idea." As the months went by he began to hear more about the Society. Eventually he yielded to the per- suasive arguments of Herbert Holmes and joined. Having done so the