Barbara Hodsdon Ullyot

For almost 35 years, Barbara Hodsdon Ullyot played an integral role at the American Chemical Society, and her legacy has ensured that her presence at ACS will be felt for many years to come.

As a young Navy widow with a son to support, Barbara went to work for the Philadelphia Section of ACS in 1954. She transferred to the national office in Washington, D.C., in 1965, where she was a dedicated member of the Meetings, Expositions and Divisional Activities Department until she retired as department head in 1989. Her son Richard Hodsdon says, "Her work ethic was effective and, I think, contagious. ‘If something is worth doing, it's worth doing well’ was a mantra I heard many times." Barbara was committed to the ideals of ACS and its important role in networking among chemists. She believed ACS was essential to the advancement of chemistry.

Her second husband, Glenn Ullyot, was a renowned medicinal chemist and ACS member. Together, the two of them supported many ACS endeavors. "Glenn and I believed deeply in the importance of higher education and helping those who couldn't afford it," she said. To this end, the couple established the Glenn and Barbara Ullyot Project SEED College Scholarship.

After her husband's death in 2002, Ullyot continued to contribute to their scholarship and Project SEED, and she named ACS as one of the beneficiaries of her IRA. She felt it was important to identify potential in students and open doors for them, and she hoped that the scholarships would help far into the future.

Project SEED was one of Barbara's passions, and, in 2008-2009, she served as deputy chair of volunteer leaders for the program's 40th anniversary appeal. "Barbara's contribution to this effort was remarkable," praises Mary Good, anniversary appeal chair and past ACS president, and Board chair. "She knew the membership and ACS supporters very well and was instrumental in getting the Project SEED message out to a wide variety of subsequent donors. Her participation was invaluable."