It was with sadness that I learned yesterday of the passing of Carlton Force, a reaction that was tempered by my recollections of Carlton as a gentleman, scholar, and former colleague. Like Carlton, I had the privilege of working for Frank (“Cappy”) Ball when he was Director of Westvaco Corporation’s Charleston Research Center. Over the years of his tenure as Director, Frank recruited an eclectic group of research scientists from the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the United Kingdom, a group whose talents were reinforced by consultants worldwide who were leaders in their fields, including Carlton’s PhD mentor at Clarkson University, Prof. Egon Matijevic, a prolific master of colloid chemistry. Carlton had the unique distinction of being the first of Egon Matijevic’s PhD students (awarded his degree in 1965), and as such set the bar for the 51 students who followed him. Our respective careers at Westvaco overlapped for 16 years, during which I had the pleasure of interacting with Carlton on several levels, scientifically and socially. Our fields of research were very different, but we shared a common bond of love of science and seeing it applied to productive and meaningful use. Those truly were the “good old days” in Charleston Research, which witnessed many notable developments in wood science and surface chemistry. Carlton was a leading proponent of the belief that the scientific integrity of our research was the most important factor and that it should not be compromised by, for want of a better word, “political” considerations.
Carlton was a gentle man by nature, but at the same time he was not afraid to speak his mind when the need arose - a characteristic Carlton and I shared but he could do so more eloquently and effectively. The very diverse, multinational group of researchers working in Charleston Research during those years brought many strengths and ideas to the table, but it was also inevitable that the different backgrounds and cultures would occasionally rise to the surface and disagreements result, either with respect to scientific matters or differences of political opinions; Carlton would often prove to be a calming moderator in such cases. He was a talented research scientist with a wealth of knowledge that he shared with his colleagues, which helped them in their careers and at the same promoted Westvaco’s business interests, as exemplified by the fact that Carlton was awarded at least 12 United States patents (as well as many more overseas patents). Research needs notwithstanding, Carlton would often be found at the lunchtime Bridge table, which is where we enthusiasts of the game would learn more about what was happening within the company than through the official channels. It was also where I got to know Carlton much better, as a scientist and as a man: I look back on those days with fondness and gratitude for the experience of having known Carlton as a scientific colleague and a friend.
Frederick S. Baker, PhD, FRSC
Charleston, SC
September 26, 2019
