Professor Robert Hutchins
(1939-2009)

Dr. Robert Owen Hutchins passed away on October 9th, 2009.  He was born in Danville, Illinois, in 1939, and spent his youth in Illinois and California.  Dr. Hutchins earned a B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley an M.S. degree in phytochemistry from California State University at Long Beach, working with D. L. Mayfield, and a Ph.D. degree from Purdue University under J. Wolinsky.  At Purdue, he developed a keen interest in synthetic and mechanistic organic chemistry. During a two-year postdoctoral stint with E. L. Eliel at Notre Dame University, Dr. Hutchins further honed his synthetic skills and, importantly, expanded his interests to conformational analysis of organic structures.  He joined Drexel University as an Assistant Professor in 1968, and advanced to Associate Professor in 1974 and to full Professor in 1979.  He served as Chemistry Department Head for the last decade and a half of the twentieth century, and during that time was also appointed as the inaugural G. S. Sasin Professor of Organic Chemistry.

Professor Hutchins was a popular and effective teacher, who garnered a C. & M. Lindback Outstanding Teaching award in 1980.  Over a period of more than three decades, he and his numerous undergraduate and graduate students, including sixteen Ph.D. students, explored the labyrinths of stereoselective organic synthesis.  Many of these students have achieved distinguished positions in industry and academia, and at Drexel we now have two student awards funded by his ex-students, one of which is named in Professor Hutchins’ honor.  His research studies dealing with new hydride reagents for asymmetric reactions and the conformational properties of phosphorus-containing heterocycles, formed the basis for a hundred well-cited scientific papers.  They earned him recognition from Drexel University (Research Achievement Award, 1982; University Research Scholar Award, 1985), his Cal. State alma mater (CSULB Distinguished Alumnus Award, 1987), and the 26th Research Award (1987) of the Philadelphia Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS).  Dr. Hutchins was a long-time member of the ACS and the Philadelphia Organic Chemists’ Club.

Dr. Hutchins headship and other service to the Department and the University were marked by his calmly measured but humorous manner, his empathy for students and their problems, his willingness to judge fairly, and his ability to discern and nurture the professional strengths of his colleagues.

Bob's wife of more than 39 years, Dr. MaryGail Hutchins (nee Kinzer) was equally beloved by the students they "adopted" over the course of Bob's career.  She predeceased him in 2001.  Bob is survived by his sons Owen (Jennifer McGuire) and Richard (Julie Hair), and grandsons Jacob and William.

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Memorial contributions may be made to the Professor Robert O. Hutchins Organic Chemistry Teaching Lab, Drexel University, P.O. Box 8215, Philadelphia, PA 19101-9684.  For more information, please contact Mike Andrulis (andrulis@drexel.edu, 215.895.6481)

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