Professor Henry Shine remembered for contributions to Texas Tech
Retired Texas Tech professor Dr. Henry Shine is being remembered for a long life well lived, filled with lasting contributions to the university where he spent more than half a century.
Shine, a native of England who followed an unconventional career path before pursuing his passion for chemistry and academia that led him to a decades-long career at Texas Tech - where he was honored in 1968 as a Horn Distinguished Professor - died Wednesday, June 26. He was 101.
"Dr. Shine was indeed a beloved member of our department, and we grieve his passing while celebrating his legacy and contributions to research and education at Texas Tech University," Dimitri Pappas, chair of Texas Tech's Department of Chemistry, said in a statement to the A-J. "He left an indelible mark on those lucky to know him. He also left us a detailed history of Texas Tech and the department, two landmark scholarly works that chronicle the founding of the University and our department’s growth over the decades."
Shine was born in London's East End in 1923. He pursued an unusual path to higher education, having left school at the age of 15 to start working, according to a story Texas Tech shared marking his 100th birthday in 2023. Over the following years, Shine worked for various companies, including Warner Bros. and First National film studios, as well as in chemistry-related roles in the manufacturing industry.
Shine worked as a routine analytical chemist for Maclean's, a pharmaceutical company that made toothpaste. There, he analyzed the raw materials used in toothpaste and cosmetics, according to the article from Tech. This jump led him to a similar position with the Pears soapmaking company, where he assessed the amounts of fatty acids in their products.
During his time in the labs, Shine learned about a specialized certificate in chemistry. Although World War II was calling many to battlefields, Shine received a deferment to complete the program and continue pursuing higher education.
In 1944, Shine graduated with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and physics from University College. After earning his degree, Shine turned to research, and graduated with a doctoral degree from London University in 1947.
From there, Shine's career would lead him to America to research and teach at Iowa State College, the California Institute of Technology and work for the United States Rubber Company.
His supervisors at U.S. Rubber sent him to the 1954 American Chemical Society meeting in New York City, where a visit with Texas Tech Professor William Moore Craig would lead him to Lubbock.
A career at Texas Tech
While at TTU, Shine pursued ambitious research in the field of chemistry, contributing to Tech's eventual push to become a Tier-1 research university.
In 1968, he was recognized by Tech's board of regents with the highest faculty honor at the university - being named a Horn Distinguished Professor. As chair of Tech's Chemistry department, he was credited for playing a role in the creation of Tech's School of Medicine.
In 1986, he received a Senior Distinguished U.S. Scientist Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, enabling Shine and his wife to spend a year in Germany with a position at the University of Hamburg, according to the article from Tech. The American Chemical Society's Division of Organic Chemistry listed Shine among the 300 famous organic chemists who contributed to the fundamentals of organic chemistry. He taught student after student who went on to their own auspicious careers, some in industry, some in academia.
In the fall of 1996, he decreased his teaching load to only one class per semester, and three years later, retired from the classroom altogether. Then designated a Horn Professor Emeritus and Research Professor, Shine continued his research in cation radical chemistry another 12 years, still supported by grants from external sources. The Robert A. Welch Foundation continuously funded Shine's work from 1955 until he closed his laboratory and relinquished his Welch grant in 2008.
In 1998, in honor of Shine's 75th birthday, a group of donors created an endowed lectureship series in his name. It has thrived, bringing to the campus an impressive set of speakers over the last two decades.
Memorial services for Shine are still pending.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Professor Henry Shine remembered for contributions to Texas Tech
