Congratulations to newly minted Emeritus AOCS member: Richard McDonald

Each year the AOCS Governing Board has the honor of approving long-term members for Emeritus status. Emeritus Members are those members who either meet qualifications for Retired Member and have completed 35 years of membership in the Society or are Retired Members who have served as a past President, won the AOCS Award of Merit winner or A.R. Baldwin Distinguished Service Award winner, and have been accepted as an Emeritus Member with the approval of two-thirds of the Governing Board.

AOCS membership dues are free for the rest of Emeritus members' lives.

In 2022, 23 AOCS members achieved Emeritus membership. We will be spotlighting many of them throughout January.

Meet Richard McDonald

Richard earned a B.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts and an M.S. at Michigan State University, all in food science and nutrition. He served three years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, including service in Vietnam as senior advisor to the Vietnamese Navy on river gunboats in the Mekong Delta and U Minh Forest.

He worked almost 5 years at Miles Laboratories, Elkhart, IN, as a senior scientist and almost 5 years at Nestle, SA, in New Milford, CT, as a manager in charge of analytical chemistry and ingredient development. He held the position of senior scientist for almost 35 years at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Bedford Park, IL. For the last 20 years, he was Director, Division of Food Processing Science and Technology, at the FDA. He retired in December 2020.

He was a founding member of the AOCS Analytical Division, serving as its first organizing chairman.

How has your membership and involvement with AOCS influenced your career?

Membership in AOCS provided numerous opportunities for my professional development as a lipid chemist in the FDA. I was able to form partnerships and initiate collaborations that were essential in advancing my career at FDA.

What advice do you have for early-career scientists/researchers who are at the start of their careers?

Work hard but keep your priorities in focus. Treat others how you want to be treated. Always be faithful to God, your family, co-workers and friends. 

Congratulations, Richard, and thank you for your contributions to AOCS and the scientific community! Learn more about the different types of AOCS membership.