U of I loses an icon
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October 15, 2013 |
The University of Idaho community lost an
exemplary chemist, teacher, mentor and friend
with the passing of Professor Emeritus Malcolm
MacKenzie Renfrew. Renfrew died October 12, his
103rd birthday, in Moscow.
Renfrew leaves a legacy at the university
spanning more than eight decades, from his first
foray into academia as a young man to his later
years as a dedicated supporter of science, art
and interdisciplinary activities across campus.
“Malcolm Renfrew earned national acclaim as a
groundbreaking scientist, but his mind had a
Renaissance reach across disciplines, and his
heart was filled with human warmth,” said
U-Idaho interim president Don Burnett. “He and
his late wife Carol – with whom he shared 71
years of married life – were treasures of our
university community. We shall never forget
them.”
Renfrew began his relationship with U-Idaho as
an undergraduate, earning a bachelor’s degree in
chemistry in 1932, followed by a master’s in
1934. After earning his doctoral degree at the
University of Minnesota, he launched his career
in polymer chemistry at DuPont, where he
supervised the group that developed wartime uses
for a material later known as Teflon.
Renfrew returned to U-Idaho in 1958 as the head
of the physical sciences department, and later
the chemistry department. His leadership led to
expanded research and academic offerings, as
well as construction of a new physical sciences
building. The university dubbed the building
Malcolm M. Renfrew Hall in 1985, in honor of his
75th birthday.
Renfrew retired in 1976, but his dedication to
the university never waned. Renfrew and his
wife, Carol Campbell Renfrew – a fellow U-Idaho
graduate whom he met while they were students –
were fixtures at campus events. She died in 2010
at the age of 96.
Malcolm Renfrew remained involved in the
sciences, volunteering as university patent
director for 10 years and serving as safety
editor for the Journal of Chemical Education. He
also honed his artistic side, creating
watercolor paintings of Moscow’s buildings and
landscapes and playing the trombone in local
bands.
Over the years, Malcolm and Carol Renfrew
received numerous university awards and honors.
The Malcolm M. Renfrew Interdisciplinary
Colloquium, which brings together speakers and
students from across campus, and the Malcolm and
Carol Renfrew College of Science Faculty
Fellowship Endowment, which supports faculty
members who excel at research and serve as
mentors for their students, were named in the
couple’s honor. The Renfrews also contributed to
student scholarships and endowments to support
departments and programs across campus.
“Professor Malcolm Renfrew was revered because
he exemplified all that was best about academia
in general and the University of Idaho
specifically,” said Katherine Aiken, U-Idaho’s
interim provost. “He was intellectually
inquisitive, devoted to the arts, and
unfailingly supportive of colleagues and
students. The last time I saw him in public he
joined in the singing of the Alma Mater. I will
remember him fondly whenever I attend any event
at the University of Idaho.”
Memorial services for Malcolm Renfrew will be 2
p.m. October 28 at the First Presbyterian Church
in Moscow, where he had served in leadership. |
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