Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Annual Meeting -A Family Reunion

This guest post regarding the AOCS Annual Meeting experience and Dr. Earl Hammond (long-time AOCS member and meeting attendee) was provided by Barb Semeraro (AOCS Area Manager, Membership). Thank you Barb for writing and thank you for reading!

Every year I meet new members, friends, and colleagues at the AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo. I always look forward to seeing the Bruce’s, Carol’s, Doug’s, Bill’s, Larry’s, Nurhan’s, Neil’s, and Amy’s - to mention just a few.
Dr. Earl Hammond 

I know that many members also look forward to seeing their colleagues and friends. It’s like a family reunion.  And many people mention that they feel very welcomed at our meetings.

One person who couldn’t attend this year’s meeting was Professor Earl Hammond. Dr. Hammond always attends the meetings and you can usually find him in the Expo Hall by the large crowd of people around him. Everyone knows professor Hammond. I asked him to write a few words about his meeting and AOCS experiences. This is his reply -
“During my career as a research professor the AOCS meetings have always been my favorites, and I have attended most of them during the past 59 years.   I made many good friends at these meetings with whom I could discuss our progress, and they have left many warm memories for my old age.  Even when I could not find a report on a topic of immediate interest, I could usually find one to educate myself on a new topic.  And when even that failed, I could always manage a refreshing nap.  The AOCS provides many prizes and honors for its members, and I have been privileged to receive a number of them.  This is always fun, and a salve to the battered ego of researchers who usually do not accomplish as much as they had hoped.  During my life as a professor I managed to introduce many of my students to the AOCS.  This has allowed me to visit many of them at AOCS meetings and renew our friendships, and sometimes they even pay for my lunch."
 -Earl Hammond, Emeritus Professor, Iowa State University     

I hope you enjoyed the AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo and I look forward to seeing you next year in Montreal, Canada.

Barb Semeraro
Area Manager, Membership
barbs@aocs.org


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