Orlando Aloysius Battista (June 20, 1917 – October 3, 1995) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

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chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

and

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. He was known in particular for his inventions and patents.

Biography

Battista was born in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada, as the seventh of eight children. His father was a long-time Canadian government employee. As a child, he was an

altar boy An altar server is a laity, lay assistant to a member of the clergy during a Christian liturgy. An altar server attends to supporting tasks at the altar such as fetching and carrying, ringing the altar bell, helps bring up the gifts, brings up t ...

and earned money via shoveling snow and a

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. He began writing at the age of twelve, after saving enough money to buy a

typewriter A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an inked ribbon selectivel ...

. Battista graduated from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

with a degree in chemistry. Syndicated via the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post Service. Battista published scientific papers and books to bring chemistry to laypeople throughout his career. A devout

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, he did not shy away from advertising his religious beliefs as well as his scientific ones.

Quotes

“An error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.”''How to Enjoy Work and Get More Fun Out of Life'' p. 72. 1957. (tiny.cc/j1y2vz) “The best inheritance a parent can give his children is a few minutes of his time each day.”

Works

Books

* ''How to Enjoy Work and Get More Fun Out of Life'' (1957) * ''God's World and You'' (1957) * ''Fundamentals of High Polymers'' (1958) * ''The Challenge of Chemistry'' (1959) Illustrated by Gil Cohen. * ''The Power to Influence People'' (1959) * ''Mental Drugs; Chemistry's Challenge to Psychotherapy'' (1960) * ''Common Science in Everyday Life'' (1960) * ''Toward the Conquest of Cancer'' (1961) * ''Synthetic Fibers in Papermaking'' (1964) * ''A Dictionary of Quotations'' (1966) * ''Childish Questions'' (1973) With Helen Keffer Battista. Illustrated by Keiko Couch. * ''Research for Profit'' (1974) * ''Microcrystal Polymer Science'' (1975) * ''People Power'' (1977) * ''O. A. Battista's Quotations : A Speaker's Dictionary'' (1977) * ''Olympiad of Knowledge—1984'' (1981) * ''Amazing Habits of Ants''

Awards

* Awarded an honorary

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

degree by St. Vincent College in 1955. * Awarded the

Anselme Payen Anselme Payen (; 6 January 1795 – 12 May 1871) was a French chemist known for discovering the enzyme diastase, and the carbohydrate cellulose. Biography Payen was born in Paris. He began studying science with his father when he was a 13-yea ...

Award by the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...

Cellulose and Renewable Materials Division in 1985. * The American Chemical Society held a

symposium In ancient Greece, the symposium ( grc-gre, συμπόσιον ''symposion'' or ''symposio'', from συμπίνειν ''sympinein'', "to drink together") was a part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was acc ...

honoring Battista on April 9, 1987 in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battista, Orlando Aloysius 1917 births 1995 deaths Canadian chemists Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian Roman Catholics People from Cornwall, Ontario Writers from Ontario 20th-century non-fiction writers Canadian emigrants to the United States Presidents of the American Institute of Chemists