News Release

CHF and Pittcon to present the Pittcon Heritage Award to Kathryn Hach-Darrow

Award ceremony will be held at Pittcon 2003 Conference

Grant and Award Announcement

Chemical Heritage Foundation

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – October 18, 2002 -- Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) today announced Kathryn Hach-Darrow will receive the second annual Pittcon Heritage Award. Jointly sponsored by the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (Pittcon) and CHF, this award recognizes outstanding individuals whose entrepreneurial careers shaped the instrumentation community, inspired achievement, promoted public understanding of the modern instrumentation sciences, and highlighted the role of analytical chemistry in world economies. The award will be presented at Pittcon 2003 in Orlando, Florida, in March 2003.

Kathryn Hach-Darrow was president, chief operating officer, and CEO of the Hach Company and presided over its growth from a small privately held reagent supplier in 1947 to a global public firm focused on water analysis and testing. From 1947 until the firm's sale in 1999, she oversaw business operations, marketing, and other managerial aspects of the firm. She is also a legend in her industry. Hach-Darrow led the expansion of the water treatment business by flying a small, private plane to cities and towns around the country to work on site with managers of water treatment facilities.

Hach products enabled municipal water suppliers around the world to assure the quality of drinking water, monitor sewage treatment, and improve water reclamation. Their products also found extensive use in electronics, food and beverage manufacturing, and general agriculture. Tests marketed by Hach make it possible for field agents -- including people without expertise in chemistry -- to take simple, rapid, economical, and accurate measurements.

Hach-Darrow has been awarded several honors as an entrepreneur and has established a foundation to further chemical education. Some of her achievements:

  • In 1957, Kathryn and Clifford Hach jointly won the American Water Works George Fuller award for distinguished service in the water supply field.
  • In 1987, the Hach Company was elected the Best Company in Colorado, receiving the award for the Northeastern part of the state.
  • Kathryn Hach was the first woman director of the American Water Works Association, later serving on numerous AWWA committees, including the President's Advisory Council.
  • In 1992, she was honored by Northwood University (campuses in Texas, Florida, and Michigan) with an outstanding Business Leaders Award.
  • In January 2000, she was voted a member of the Colorado Business Hall of Fame (sponsored by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and Junior Achievement).
  • Kathryn Hach-Darrow established the Hach Scientific Foundation to support science education by sponsoring student tuition and teacher education.
This spring will mark the 53rd annual Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy. It's now the largest and most inclusive conference and exposition on laboratory science and instrumentation in the world. The annual event brings together more than 30,000 conferees and exhibitors from more than 70 countries. PITTCON 2002 will include approximately 3,000 presentations in addition to short courses, invited symposia, workshops and new product forums featuring instrument manufacturers from the life sciences, analytical chemistry, and other scientific fields. Proceeds from the conference are used to advance science education. More information is available at www.pittcon.org.

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The Chemical Heritage Foundation, a private, non-profit organization, operates a historical research library and museum; creates and circulates traveling exhibits; develops and disseminates educational materials; publishes books and Chemical Heritage magazine; offers fellowships and travel grants; conducts oral histories with leading scientists and industrialists; and hosts awards, conferences, and public events.

www.chemheritage.org


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