The Right Chemistry Is Everything

Mitch Erickson ’72 and I spent the summer of 1971 in Grinnell as summer research fellows with Luther Erickson. Only a few science students were on campus during the summer then; the College was beautiful, peaceful, and quiet.

Our project went well, and we were eventually able to publish our results. My future husband, Craig Gordon ’71, had not been so lucky the summer before. After the compound he had worked all summer to synthesize mysteriously disappeared overnight, he decided science was not for him and went to law school. The gift to me of that summer was my growing friendship with both Luther and his wife, Jenny. They have remained important players in my life.