Maurice Lister
Encyclopedia
Professor
Maurice Wolfenden Lister (born Tunbridge Wells
, Kent
, 27 March 1914, died Woodstock, Ontario
, Canada
27 June 2003) was a leading academic chemist
and writer
.
, Holt
, and Oriel College, Oxford, he took the degrees of BA
, MA
, and DPhil at Oxford. He then crossed the Atlantic to Harvard on a Commonwealth Scholarship to work on atomic research and spectroscopy.
While at Oxford, Lister was a top middle-distance runner, and he was offered the opportunity to train for the 1936 Olympic Games
, but he decided he must give priority to his academic work.
, Ontario
, and then in 1949 the chemistry department at the University of Toronto
, where he remained until 1982.
His main research interests were in the kinetics
and mechanisms of inorganic reactions. His work on the oxyacids and oxyanions of the halogens was important.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Maurice Wolfenden Lister (born Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, 27 March 1914, died Woodstock, Ontario
Woodstock, Ontario
Woodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in Southern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
27 June 2003) was a leading academic chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Education
Educated at Gresham's SchoolGresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
, and Oriel College, Oxford, he took the degrees of BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, MA
Master of Arts (Oxbridge)
In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...
, and DPhil at Oxford. He then crossed the Atlantic to Harvard on a Commonwealth Scholarship to work on atomic research and spectroscopy.
While at Oxford, Lister was a top middle-distance runner, and he was offered the opportunity to train for the 1936 Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, but he decided he must give priority to his academic work.
Career
At the beginning of the Second World War Lister joined the National Research Council of Canada and before long was a major in the Canadian Army. Soon after the war he joined Atomic Energy Canada in Chalk RiverChalk River
Chalk River is a Canadian rural community part of the Laurentian Hills municipality in Renfrew County, Ontario. It is located in the Upper Ottawa Valley along Highway 17 , 10 km inland from the Ottawa River, approximately 21 km northwest of Petawawa, and 182 km northwest of Ottawa...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and then in 1949 the chemistry department at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, where he remained until 1982.
His main research interests were in the kinetics
Chemical kinetics
Chemical kinetics, also known as reaction kinetics, is the study of rates of chemical processes. Chemical kinetics includes investigations of how different experimental conditions can influence the speed of a chemical reaction and yield information about the reaction's mechanism and transition...
and mechanisms of inorganic reactions. His work on the oxyacids and oxyanions of the halogens was important.
Family
Lister married Lois, a Toronto landscape architect, in 1940, and they had five children. His wife died in 1995.Other Appointments
- Trustee of the Toronto Board of Education, from 1964
- Chairman of the Toronto Board of Education, from 1970
- Professor Emeritus, University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, 1982