Death of former Professors in History of Science
News has reached us that Colin Archibald Russell (7 September 1928 – 17 May 2013) the Emeritus Professor in History of Science, the Open University has died. His BSC was awarded by the University of London and he went on to teach chemistry at Kingston and Preston while also studying for a M SC and PhD and later a DSc. In 1970 he became the founding Professor of the department of the history of science and technology at The Open University.
Colin Russell was a Chartered Chemist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, an organization in which he served as a member of the Parliamentary Links Scheme from 1978. In addition he was on its Council (1999–2002). He was president of the British Society for the History of Science (1986–1988) and also president of Christians in Science, vice-president of the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, a trustee of the John Ray Initiative, and a founding member of the International Society for Science and Religion.
He published on the history of chemistry on environmental history and on the history of science and religion. He was the recipient in 1990 of the Dexter Award from the American Chemical Society ‘for outstanding contributions to the history of chemistry’. In 1995 he was awarded the David Mellor Medal from the University of New South Wales.
We also note the death of Prof David Goodman. He was a head of the History of Science at the OU where his specialism was early-modern history. He held a post as a Visiting Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore and in 1991 he edited, with Colin Russell, The rise of scientific Europe, 1500-1800.