In Memoriam: Robert Gleason ’54
Robert W. Gleason, professor emeritus of chemistry and a member of the Class of 1954, died on July 17 at his home in Middlebury, Vermont. He was 94 years old. During his 34 years of teaching and research at the College, he influenced hundreds of students who knew him as an imperturbable, ever-patient tutor through whom the problems of organic chemistry became challenges of the intellect.
Gleason was born on February 9, 1932, in Santiago, Chile, and grew up in Belvidere, New Jersey. He graduated from Belvidere High School and completed a postgraduate year at Blair Academy before matriculating at Middlebury in 1950. He pursued a degree in physics but had an interest in attending medical school, which required more chemistry instruction, so he continued at Middlebury for two more years, earning a Master of Science in chemistry in 1956. During that time, he developed a passion for organic chemistry, so he gave up the idea of medical school and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received his PhD. In 1960 he joined the Middlebury faculty as an instructor in chemistry, a one-semester leave replacement that grew into a full-time position.
Over the years Gleason pushed for the recognition of the importance of the sciences in a liberal arts education. He served as department chair, division chair, dean of the sciences, and dean of the faculty, using his administrative abilities to recruit qualified faculty, raise expectations of his department, and upgrade the scientific equipment through the acquisition of grants. As his retirement minute states, he was “the heart and the soul of the laboratory sciences at Middlebury.”
Jeff Byers, Philip Battell and Sarah F. Cowles Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, remembers Gleason’s hand in advancing opportunities for students to benefit from their scientific studies and carry out meaningful research. “First, as dean of the faculty, he successfully shared the needs of the sciences at Middlebury with other senior administrators, especially those who held the purse strings, and initiated such important resources as start-up funding for new faculty, matching funding for desperately needed equipment grants, and an upgrade to the Grants Office to match the needs of a growing scientific faculty. He also personally sought outside funding to support the summer research experiences for our students.” Gleason was particularly proud of developing the undergraduate research participation program, which often served as many as 75 students each summer.
Along with all he did for the sciences, he is remembered as a mentor and friend to colleagues. Sunhee Choi, the John D. McCullough Professor Emerita of Chemistry, says, “Bob was always so happy to hear about a junior faculty member’s grant success, paper publication, promotion, etc. He encouraged us to express our opinions at the department meetings. When he was not sure about chemistry questions, he was not shy to ask junior members for the answers. He was humorous and a fundamentally good human being. I will miss him deeply.”
Steve Sontum, professor emeritus of chemistry and biochemistry, particularly remembers the occasions that Gleason gave him advice and guided his career. “My first memory of Bob was in 1983, when I was driving at 60 miles per hour up Route 22A in a U-Haul truck, rushing toward my new job at Middlebury College. There was a car in my rearview mirror that followed me all the way into the parking lot at the old science center. Bob, my chairman, calmly got out of his car and informed me that the speed limit in Vermont was 50 miles an hour. I thought my goose was cooked, but from that moment on, Bob took me under his wing and guided me as my chairman, dean, and mentor for the next 11 years until he retired in 1994. What I remember most about those years was that our department functioned like a family. As a department we would exchange Christmas gifts, have dinners, and meet socially with students at his house. Those of us who knew Bob were the fortunate beneficiaries of his passionate dedication to his students, to his colleagues, and to the College.”
Gleason’s personal interests were many, including skiing and golfing with his family, gardening, woodworking, keeping bees and selling their collected honey (Bob’s Bees), hiking and camping, following the Boston Red Sox, traveling, and walking the many golden retrievers he and his family had over the years. He is remembered as a man of principle and integrity with an intellectual curiosity and dogged determination for doing things right the first time. His family writes, “He was honest, genuine, humble, and sincere, and he frequently delighted himself and others with his silly sense of humor.”
Predeceased by wife, Betsy Heath Gleason ’58, he is survived by his children, Nancy, Amy and husband Bill, and Mark and wife Shannon; grandchildren Britty ’12 and husband Corey, Max and wife Merrill, Robert, Caroline, Allie and husband Dennis, Lizzie, Andrew ’21, Catherine, and Abby; and great-grandchildren Margot and Brooks.
A memorial service will take place November 14 at 11:00 a.m. at the Congregational Church in Middlebury with a luncheon reception following in McCardell Bicentennial Hall.