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Percy Julian, 1899-1975
Born Montgomery, Alabama
A renowned research chemist and a strong advocate for civil rights, Percy Julian encountered and overcame prejudice throughout most of his life. After graduating from DePauw University in 1920 and receiving a master's degree in chemistry from Harvard in 1923, Julian went to Europe to obtain a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Vienna. After teaching at Howard and DePauw, Julian joined the Glidden Company in Chicago, working to create chemical compounds from soybeans. He is best known for developing a method for synthesizing cortisone, which made that scarce drug, important for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, widely available. In 1950, when Julian and his family moved to the all-white community of Oak Park, Illinois, his home was set on fire and later firebombed. The artist, a fellow resident of Oak Park, created this painting just after those events.
Richard Epperly, 1952 |