"Extraordinary only begins to describe the accomplishments of Jon M. Huntsman," said Arnold Thackray, president of CHF. "With imagination, daring, and determination, he has built a $9.5 billion global business. As a citizen and statesman he has served several U.S. presidents; as a philanthropist he has funded cancer research and higher education; and he has been personally involved in famine and disaster relief both in the United States and around the world. He truly embodies the multifaceted spirit recognized by the Othmer Gold Medal and lends further luminosity to its distinguished list of recipients."
About Jon M. Huntsman
Jon M. Huntsman, noted entrepreneur and philanthropist, built Huntsman Corporation into a multibillion-dollar global business with leading positions in the chemical, plastics, and packaging industries. A director of the American Chemistry Council and founding director of the American Plastics Council, he has worked to increase public understanding of and competitiveness of America's chemical industry.
Huntsman has also dedicated himself to supporting cancer research, famine relief, higher education, and care of the homeless by establishing such institutions as the Huntsman Cancer Institute, the Huntsman Award for Excellence in Education, and the Huntsman World Senior Games. He has received numerous awards including the Medal of Honor (Armenia), the National Caring Award, and the Kavaler Award for Chief Executive Excellence.
Huntsman is a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and later received an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He served as a gunnery officer in the U.S. Navy. In 1970 President Nixon appointed him to serve in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and from 1971 to 1972 he served as special assistant and staff secretary to Nixon.
A resident of Utah, he was Utah's Republican Party national committeeman from 1976 to 1980, and in 1977 he was chairman of the Western States Republican Leaders. He served as vice chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and is the current chairman of the Board of Overseers of the Wharton School of Finance and vice chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania.
He established the Huntsman Cancer Foundation in 1995 with a pledge of $151 million, $100 million of which came directly from the Huntsman family to fund the Huntsman Cancer Institute. In April 2000 Huntsman gave an additional $125 million toward the building of a new cancer hospital.
About the Othmer Gold Medal
The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) established the Othmer Gold Medal in 1997 to honor outstanding individuals who, like Donald Othmer (1904–1995), have made multifaceted contributions to our chemical and scientific heritage through outstanding activity in such areas as innovation, entrepreneurship, research, education, public understanding, legislation, or philanthropy.
The medal is presented annually and cosponsored by CHF and four affiliated organizations: the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the Chemists' Club, and the Société de Chimie Industrielle (American Section). The medal commemorates Donald Othmer, noted researcher, consultant, editor, engineer, inventor, philanthropist, professor, and coeditor of the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology.
Previous Othmer Gold Medal Awardees
John D. Baldeschweiler – 2003
George S. Hammond – 2003
Robert S. Langer – 2002
Gordon E. Moore – 2001
Arnold Beckman – Millennium Othmer Gold Medal
Carl Djerassi – 2000
P. Roy Vagelos – 1999
Mary Lowe Good – 1998
Ralph Landau – 1997
About the Chemical Heritage Foundation
The Chemical Heritage Foundation serves the community of the chemical and molecular sciences, and the wider public, by treasuring the past, educating the present, and inspiring the future. CHF carries out a program of outreach and interpretation in order to advance an understanding of the historical role of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries in shaping society; maintains a world-class collection of historical materials that document the history and heritage of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries; and encourages research in its collections. For more information, visit www.chemheritage.org.