Eastham Family Establish Endowment
The family of Dr. Jerome Eastham surprised him on his 82nd birthday, September 22, 2006, by establishing an endowment in his honor in the Department of Chemistry and inviting others to join them in the effort.
The Jerome Eastham Graduate Endowed Fellowship will support a PhD student engaged in research focused on the general area of organic synthesis or organometallics applied to synthetic methods. This was the research area in which Dr. Eastham focused during his long career at UTK
Articulated by Grace Eastham Dunlap, as she championed the fundraising effort, “I have learned that the success and stature of every graduate program rests largely on the shoulders of its graduate students. They ultimately perform the lion’s share of the experimental work that make up the scientific advances which in turn represent the productivity of the Chemistry Department. Therefore UT needs to attract the best students from around the nation to join their program. Named endowments, the purpose of which would be to provide fellowships for the strongest applicants to the UT Chemistry Department and to reward those students who show dedication to research, are a significant stimulus to the Department’s recruiting efforts. I think Dad will enjoy the fact that he is continuing to aid that effort.”
Dr. Eastham’s own career at UT began in 1953. He rose to full Professor in 1962 and gained professional recognition for his extensive research in organic chemistry with emphasis on synthesis, structure and reactivity of steroids and other natural products. His interest broadened to include chemistry of organometallic compounds of metals including lithium, magnesium and aluminum. In the late 1960s his attention was drawn to neurochemistry and the general study of neuroscience. Dr. Eastham completed a Doctor of Medicine degree in Memphis in the late 1970s and was appointed to the medical faculty at UT Medical Center while continuing his teaching and research in the Chemistry Department.
One of his former graduate students from the 1960s, Dr. Gerald Gibson, now the President of Maryville College, describes the role Dr. Eastham played as a teacher and mentor:
“Dr. Eastham was the most popular research director in the Chemistry Department, the faculty member who had the most doctoral students signed on to work with him. It was easy to understand why. He was engaged, low-pressure, and inspiring—a first-rate human being. He knew better than I did where I was in my research, yet never micro-managed my work. He was also sensitive to my concerns, including my wish to complete my doctoral work in four years, and saw to it that I did so. He supported me in my goal to prepare for teaching in a liberal arts college—and even in my efforts to write poetry. On top of all this, he was a fine teacher who knew how to communicate his subject effectively and motivate his students. He set a powerful example for me in the laboratory and classroom, and I give thanks that I wound up under his wing.”
We are pleased to celebrate Dr. Eastham’s legacy with a new endowed fund in his honor in the Department of Chemistry. For more information or to make a contribution to the fund, contact the Development Office, College of Arts and Sciences, casdev@utk.edu