PROCEEDINGS OF THE OKLAHOMA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE Volume 58—1978

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DR. NORMAN N. DURHAM
AWARD OF MERIT RECIPIENT
FOR 1977

During the annual meeting on November 10, 1977, Dr. Norman N. Durham received the Award of Merit of the Oklahoma Academy of Science in recognition of his outstanding research on anticancer agents, on cellular growth, and on mechanisms of antibiotic action. These contributions to science were developed in more than 120 journal articles and a patent application co-authored with the 1976 awardee, Dr. K. D. Berlin; the patent subsequently was granted, and assigned to Oklahoma State University.

Norman, a native Texan, received his training at North Texas State University at Denton, Texas and at the University of Texas in Austin. He joined the Department of Bacteriology at Oklahoma A. & M. College in 1954 and became Professor in that Department in 1960. In 1968, Norman was appointed Dean of the Graduate College; in 1973, he also was appointed Director of the Oklahoma State University Environmental Institute.

During 9 years of heavy administrative commitments, Norman has "stolen time" for vigorous interest in all aspects of research inquiry and academic excellence. For instance, he has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine and at Kansas State University, a consultant for NASA, for the Atomic Energy Commission and for the U.S. Office of Education, and a regional lecturer for Sigma Xi.

If Norman's research efforts suffered from such dichotomy, it probably is fortunate for those of us who must compete with him for federal research support. During 24 years with Oklahoma State University, he has been the principal investigator or co-investigator on more than three-quarters of a million dollars in grants or contracts.

Norman, a Fellow of the Oklahoma Academy of Science, has been for many years a steady, enthusiastic contributor to all Academy activities. He has been Vice-chairman and Chairman of the Microbiology Section, Awards Selection Committee member, and member of the Legislative Committee, and in 1974 served with distinction as our President. On behalf of the membership, the Council of the Oklahoma Academy of Science congratulates Dr. Durham for distinguished contributions to science as both an educator and an experimentalist. We wish for him continued success in his career.