Member-only story
Nonfiction
The King of Plastics, an Aspiring Scientist, and an Assistant Who Almost Changed the Course of History
1996, New Orleans, LA / American Chemical Society Conference
The session chair, “the man” — Dr. James E. McGrath, called for a break after a number of presentations. He apparently needed to stretch his legs.
James E. McGrath is a renowned researcher who has also been a key author and educator in the field of polymer science. He co-authored six books on block polymers and polymerization technology as well as more than 100 technical papers.
The minute he stood from his chair, he was swarmed by a multitude from the audience— each vying for just one second of his attention.
Dr. McGrath commanded respect and admiration and yet was a down-to-earth man. He stood there for perhaps 5 minutes taking questions from different people. Slowly, he started to move and the crowd moved with him.
Andrew, watching from afar, took special notice of the phenomenon before him. Dr. McGrath surrounded by a crowd moved in a unique life form, a unicellular microorganism (like an amoeba) with McGrath as the nucleus. He started moving…
