Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
– January 16, 2017,
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
He grew up with his brother and two sisters in Shelby, North Carolina, where their father was a community leader. After graduating from Shelby High School, Homer E. Le Grand Jr. matriculated at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
. With a joint major in chemistry and history, he graduated there in 1966 with a B.A. In June 1966 in
Cleveland County, North Carolina
Cleveland County is a county located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the western Piedmont, on the southern border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 99,519. Its county seat is Shelb ...
, he married Brenda Ann Lefler (born 1943). At the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
he graduated in 1970 with a Ph.D. in the history of science. His Ph.D. thesis is entitled ''Berthollet and the Oxygen Theory of Acidity''. He became a member of the history department of
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...
and for the academic year 1975–1976 went on sabbatical with his wife and their three small children to the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...
. From 1976 to 1999 he was a faculty member in the history department of the University of Melbourne and was there also the Dean of Arts for several years. From 1999 to 2006 at
Monash University
Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...
, he was a professor in the history department and also Dean of the Faculty of Arts. In 2007 he retired as professor emeritus.
In his research on the history of chemistry, Le Grand argued that
Humphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet, (17 December 177829 May 1829) was a British chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. He is also remembered for isolating, by using electricity, several elements for t ...
's discoveries enabled 19th-century chemists to fully realize the value of
Lavoisier
Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier ( , ; ; 26 August 17438 May 1794), CNRS (
Naomi Oreskes
Naomi Oreskes (; born November 25, 1958) is an American historian of science. She became Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University in 2013, after 15 years as Professor of H ...
with the assistance of Le Grand, contains chapters by some of the most important scientists who developed plate tectonics.
In his honour, Monash University sponsors the Homer Le Grand Student Assistance Scholarship.
Upon his death he was survived by his widow, a daughter, two sons, and eight grandchildren. One son, Alexander Benton, became an orthopedic surgeon in
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of th ...
The Australian
''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' and ''
The Age
''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
''.
Selected publications
Articles
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Books
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* (pbk reprint of 1990 1st edition)
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