Gerald Lessells

In 1968, Gerry Lessells initiated AIChE's effort to raise the profile of minority engineers in the Institute and the profession. His early leadership of AIChE's Career Guidance Subcommittee for Disadvantaged Youth, and his service as ad hoc Minority Affairs Coordinator for the Institute, opened doors to a more diverse AIChE membership, and set the foundation for the formal launch of MAC in 1990. 

Last fall, after the MAC @ 25 Anniversary celebration in Salt Lake City, where Gerry was recognized for his exceptional contributions to the Minority Affairs Committee, he joined the AIChE Legacy Society, a group of individuals who have taken the special step of including AIChE in their long-term plans. The AIChE Foundation met with Gerrry to learn more about his commitment to diversity efforts and what inspired his remarkable generosity. 

AIChE Foundation: Who are some of your heroes and why?

Gerry Lessells: My heroes fall in to several classes.   First are, collectively, my professors in the MIT Chemical Engineering and Chemistry Departments, especially, in the late 1940's who were largely responsible for any career successes I had during my 36 years employed in the Chemical Process Industries.  And in AIChE I would especially single out Hugh Guthrie and Tom Tomkowit, AIChE National Presidents who were instrumental in pushing thru the agenda Henry Brown and I were suggesting for getting the Institute to be involved in attracting minority youth and young women into the sciences and engineering.  And very recently I would have to add Prof. John McKetta of the University of Texas, Austin, as he has reached his centennial birthday, still an inspiration in the field of chemical engineering.  I met John in the early 1960's when he was AIChE President, and on the faculty of the University of Illinois at Urbana.  We used to attend meetings of the Central Illinois Section of AIChE together. 

I mentioned in my speech at Salt Lake City, when all of the Pioneers of Diversity Awards were made, that AIChE and NAACP were, coincidentally, both founded in 1908, and that I had joined the former in 1951 and the latter in 1953.  Where chemical engineering has spawned most of my heroes, the civil rights cause generated two giants:  Roy Wilkins, long-time Executive Director of NAACP, and Thurgood Marshall, long-time General Counsel of that organization, who later became the first black U.S. Supreme Court Justice.  But in addition, there were many others in this cause who were heroines and heroes.

And, finally, my political hero is Harry S. Truman; to me, the last president who I believe was as close to 100% honest and moral as is humanly possible, was boadly competent, and, of course, you might imagine, was of my political persuasion.  For a short time in 1945 and 1946 Harry was my commander-in-chief when I served in the U.S. Army.

"The inspiration for my legacy gift very clearly came from MAC's 25th anniversary celebration at Salt Lake City.  To be recognized, along with all the other Pioneers of Diversity, for work I had initiated in AIChE almost 50 years ago was such a great honor."
- Gerry

AIChE: What is it about chemical engineering you’re most passionate about?

GL: My passion about chemical engineering is its being that branch of engineering which springs from chemistry - the central science, thus giving us chemical engineers the greatest degree of adaptability and innovativeness as new challenges present themselves to our profession.

AIChE: What inspired you to make such a generous legacy gift to AIChE last year?

GL: The inspiration for my legacy gift very clearly came from MAC's 25th anniversary celebration at Salt Lake City.  To be recognized, along with all the other Pioneers of Diversity, for work I had initiated in AIChE almost 50 years ago was such a great honor. But of much greater import to me was seeing the tremendous amount of work coming from the Committee established by Henry Brown and Jimmy Wei 25 years ago, several years after I retired!  So I felt that since I've really done nothing for the "cause" for so long, I would arrange to help out MAC's scholarship fund after I have departed this Vale of Tears!

AIChE: What would you like to pass on to future generations?

GL: I think my legacy gift will pass on to future generations a bit of my footsteps at AIChE which have been followed so well by so many others.