Jack Steele, PhD, Recognized for Excellence in Chemistry

Dr. Steele has been a grantee of the Mott Foundation and the National Institutes of Health since 1988

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Jul 17, 2019, 16:15 ET

ALBANY, Ga., July 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Jack Steele, PhD, is a distinguished biographee of Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are chosen from among a pool of the most prominent professionals and are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Up until his retirement in 2005, Dr. Steele spent the majority of his career at Albany State University in Georgia. Beginning his tenure with the university as an assistant professor of chemistry in 1970, he progressed to full professor by 1980. During his tenure, he also spent time as the chair and coordinator of chemistry and physics between 1981 and 2003. Dr. Steele's first professional role was as a teaching intern at Washington State University in Pullman, where he also completed postdoctoral research under the direction of Dr. J. Ivan Legg.

Alongside his primary responsibilities, Dr. Steele was a reviewer at the Journal of Chemical Education from 1985 to 2005. He also donated his skills as an extramural reviewer for the Environmental Protection Agency from 1977 to 1980 and is currently active in the same role with the National Science Foundation, where he previously worked as a graduate research assistant. Early on in his career, he spent time at the University of Kentucky as a recitation instructor and laboratory teaching assistant from 1967 to 1968 and at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, as an undergraduate laboratory assistant and graduate teaching assistant in general and analytical chemistry between 1963 and 1966.

As a sixth grade student, Dr. Steele knew he wanted to pursue a career in the sciences, but he hadn't yet decided between geology, pharmacy or chemistry. It wasn't until Dr. John A. Ricketts gave a presentation at his school that Dr. Steele realized that he was most passionate about chemistry. Embarking on his studies at DePauw University, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1964. Continuing his academic efforts, he received a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Kentucky in 1968. Additionally, he was certified in handling controlled substances by the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Civically, Dr. Steele was an active assistant starter for the state and local BMX Bike Racer and an assistant den leader for the Webelos Troop with Cub Scouts of America. He has also involved himself with clinical chemistry programs and forensic science programs. Having accomplished much throughout his career, he is most proud of co-founding the Southwest Georgia chapter of the American Chemical Society, where he has been a member for roughly 50 years. He started the chapter with Dr. A. Brad Sears after repeatedly approaching the national chapter in Washington, D.C. Dow Carter became the first chair of that section. Furthermore, he donated his time to St. Teresa's Schools, acting as the chair for one year and serving on the school finance committee for three years. Dr. Steele also wrote an accounting program with Frank Davis for the schools that has since been adopted by many other schools in South Georgia.

A member of the Georgia Academy of Sciences, Dr. Steele was the chair of the Southwest Georgia section of the American Chemical Society, and is presently active as a referee for the Journal of the American Chemical Society. He holds further membership with Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society and the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, where he notably presented papers at both regional and national meetings. Over the years, he has contributed numerous papers in various fields to scientific journals. He also had the incredible opportunity to write MCAT questions for five years. In the early 1980s, Dr. Steele was invited by Drs. Laurence T. Crimmins and Thomas O. Johnson to join the weekly internal medicine seminars at the Albany Internal Medicine affiliated hospitals.

First and foremost, Dr. Steele credits his late wife, Carolyn, and his three children as major reasons behind his success. He has also had a slew of incredible mentors over the years, including his professors from the University of Kentucky: Dr. Donald H. Williams, Dr. Donald E. Sands, Dr. Joseph W. Wilson and Dr. David White. While at Albany State University, he was influenced by Dr. James A. Hotz, who is known as the original and real "Doc Hollywood," as well as Dr. Daniel J. Morton and Dr. Thomas F. Neal Jr., who he credits with saving his life in 2014. Other important mentors include Lt. Col. John R. Mars and Myron E. Benner, as well as Drs. Eugene P. Schwartz, Donald J. "Jack" Cook and Russell J. Compton, among others.

During his illustrious career, Dr. Steele was a grantee of the Mott Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Minority Biomedical Research Support Program and the National Science Foundation. The organizer and founder of the Air Force ROTC Drill Team, he was recognized with the Honor Group of the United States Military Academy for Four Gun Drill. Other accolades include the Blue Key Honor Society Awards and the Commander Award, the Variety Athletic Letter and the Letter Jacket Award from DePauw University. Selected for the NSF Summer of Electrochemical Research, Dr. Steele was also awarded a Doctoral Year Fellowship by the University of Kentucky Foundation.

Notably, Dr. Steele started the election of the Best and Most Popular Teacher at Albany State University. Elected to the faculty senate on numerous occasions, he is also responsible for beginning several degree programs. Furthermore, he has been presented with the Clinical Chemistry Recognition Award, the Outstanding Service Award and multiple other certified medals. Outside of his professional passions, he enjoys reading, cooking, genealogy and traveling overseas. In light of his accomplishments, Dr. Steele has previously been featured in Who's Who in the South and Southwest and Who's Who of America's Teachers. He is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Dick J. Steele. He was raised in Greencastle, Indiana.

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