Julian Research Institute

In 1953, however, Julian decided to resign his position at Glidden to found Julian Laboratories. Julian s company specialized in steroid chemistry and the production of steroid dmgs from Mexican yams. In 1961, Julian sold his profitable company to Smith, Kline French Laboratories for more than 2.3 million. However, Julian remained as president of the company (Borman, 1993). Later, Julian repurchased one of his laboratories and established a nonprofit research organization known as the Julian Research Institute. In collaboration between the Institute and the graduate center of the University of Illinois, Julian directed doctoral dissertation research. He also served as a mentor to countless young African American chemists (Borman, 1993). 

In 1953 Julian resigned from Glidden to establish his own laboratory in Franklin Park, Illinois. As director of the Julian Research Institute and president of Julian Associates, Inc., he continued work on steroid chemistry and returned to his studies of indole alkaloids. In 1974 Julian became ill, and it was necessary for him to scale back his activities. He died on April 19, 1975. 

Percyjulian s list of achievements reads like that of others who have made it to the top in their professions a doctorate in chemistry in Vienna in 1931 quickly followed, back home in the United States, by outstanding achievements as a researcher and university professor 18 years as director of research in an industry where he led the way in bringing to market valuable products from soybeans and the founding of his own research institute, the Julian Laboratories. To grasp the measure of the man, add to this brief outline dozens of scientific publications, over 100 patents granted, numerous academic honors, and positions of responsibility in many civic and humanitarian organizations. 

Brown University, School of Engineering, Providence, Rhode Island, USA Julian D. Gale, Department of Chemistry, Nanochemistry Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia... 

White chemists E. P. Kohler of Harvard and Ernst Spaeth of the University of Vietma also nurtured Julian s career at critical times. Blanchard and DePauw President G. Bromley Oxnam recommended Julian s appointment to the faculty. However, the Board of Trustees rejected his appointment. Like many white universities of the time, DePauw was not ready for a black professor. (Some thirty years later, Julian was elected to the Board.) According to Borman (1993), the University of Mirmesota declined to appoint Julian as well. Consequently, Julian applied for and was offered a position as a researcher at the Institute of Paper Chemistry (IPC) in Appleton, Wisconsin. This failed to materialize as well because IPC executives discovered an Appleton statute that forbade housing of a Negro overnight (Borman, 1993). 

I don t think there have been enough black research chemists. Most of the blacks in the past have been at black institutions where there was not an opportunity to do frontier research. They haven t had the opportunity to really contribute. 1 don t think blacks have had the time to devote to research. Take someone like Percy Julian, who did not become a prolific publisher until he left Howard University. I think that is tme with most of the well-published blacks. If they have done a lot of publishing, it has been in an industrial setting or at a major research university. 

Support by National Institutes of Health Grants ES 03817 and CA 62186 is acknowledged. I acknowledge many individuals in my research group for editorial assistance. Special appreciation goes to Drs. Keith McCall, Julian Rutherford, and Thalia Nittis. 

Julian Barquin is Professor at the Institute for Technology Research (IIT) at Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Madrid (Spain). 

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