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PHILADELPHIA, PA — 20 May 2005 — The American Institute of Chemists (AIC) will present the 2005 AIC Gold Medal to Robert L. McNeil, Jr., the brilliant innovator, manager, and entrepreneur responsible for the launch of Tylenol, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary as a safe and widely used drug. The award ceremony will be part of Heritage Day 2005 at the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) on 9 June.
“Pharmaceutical innovator, talented manager, and community leader, Bob McNeil grew a family business into a firm of national prominence, led the development of one of the leading pain relievers in the world, and continues to support many important community organizations,” said David W. Riley, chairman of the AIC. “He combines brilliance in research with greatness in business, and true goodness with a full life of service to his community and the world.”
The presentation of the AIC Gold Medal will be part of a day devoted to celebrating the achievement and promise of the chemical and molecular sciences. McNeil’s receiving the AIC medal is nicely complemented by the awarding of CHF’s Othmer Gold Medal to James D. Watson, co-discover of the structure of DNA. Herbert W. Boyer, co-founder of the world’s first major biotechnology company, Genentech, will receive The Chemists’ Club’s Winthrop-Sears Award. Finally, reflecting the ongoing strength of the chemical and molecular sciences, Thomas M. Connelly, Jr., senior vice president and chief science and technology officer for DuPont, will receive the Commercial Development and Marketing Association (CDMA) Award for Executive Excellence.
About Robert L. McNeil, Jr.
Robert McNeil’s grandfather opened a pharmacy in Philadelphia in 1879. There he manufactured and sold high quality medications that quickly won the professional endorsement of doctors and hospitals throughout the city. In 1904 his only son, Robert Lincoln McNeil, joined the family business, beginning a tradition of family leadership that would last more than 50 years. Under his skillful management, the business shifted away from retail operators and into the expanding pharmaceutical market.
In 1933 the drug store was incorporated as McNeil Laboratories, Inc. This new corporation specialized in the direct marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals to doctors and hospitals. In 1936 Robert McNeil, Jr., began his long career at McNeil Laboratories , starting as research chemist and ultimately serving as chairman of the board. By the early 1950s, McNeil Laboratories had become a national concern, employing more than 500 people and manufacturing more than 75 products.
In 1955 McNeil Laboratories introduced an aspirin-free prescription analgesic—Tylenol Elixir for children. Developed under the direction and guidance of McNeil, it was the first in a family of products that heralded a new era for the company. In time the Tylenol family of products would become the nation’s best-selling analgesic, placing McNeil Laboratories at the forefront of the world’s proprietary pharmaceutical industry. In 1959 McNeil Labs was acquired by Johnson & Johnson.
McNeil’s contributions to local and national cultural life include a long period of activity in the Philadelphia Section of the American Chemical Society. More recently he has served on the boards of the Yale University Art Gallery , the Archives of American Art, the Philadelphia Maritime Museum , the Chestnut Hill Historical Society, and the Valley Forge Historical Society. He has also served as vice president of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and as a trustee. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Sons of the Revolution, and the Pennsylvania Society, and an elder in the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. He was formerly a member of the board of directors of the American Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, president of the Philadelphia Drug Exchange, and president of the Philadelphia branch of the American Pharmaceutical Association. McNeil’s contribution to business and community has been recognized with four honorary degrees, the Wallace Award from the American-Scottish Foundation, election as a Fellow by the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, and membership in the American Antiquarian Society.
About the AIC Gold Medal
First awarded by the American Institute of Chemists in 1926, the Gold Medal is the AIC ’s highest award. It recognizes service to the science of chemistry and to the profession of chemist or chemical engineer in the United States. Previous winners include Nobel laureates Glenn T. Seaborg and Herbert C. Brown, as well as other renowned researchers and engineers representing many facets of the world of chemistry. Recent medalists include F. Albert Cotton, Alfred Bader, Carl Djerassi, Harry B. Gray, Arnold O. Beckman, and Ralph F. Hirschmann.
About the American Institute of Chemists (AIC)
Founded in 1923, the American Institute of Chemists advances the chemical sciences by establishing high professional standards of practice and emphasizing the professional, ethical, economic, and social status of its members for the benefit of society as a whole. The AIC engages in a broad range of programs for professional enhancement through the prestigious Fellow membership category, an awards program, certification programs, and meetings.
About the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF)
The Chemical Heritage Foundation serves the community of the chemical and molecular sciences, and the wider public, by treasuring the past, educating the present, and inspiring the future. CHF carries out a program of outreach and interpretation in order to advance an understanding of the role of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries in shaping society; maintains a world-class collection of materials that document the history and heritage of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries; and encourages research in its collections.
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