Bonnie Buoyant Beevers at Ninety

IUCr Newsletter (1998). 6(3), 11.

On May 27th, 1998 the youthful Arnold Beevers celebrated his 90th birthday. Over the years, his contributions to science, to the communication of science, and simply to the good humor of scientist and non-scientist alike have been enormous. His name has left its mark in three places: Beevers-Lipson strips, Beevers-Ross sites and Beevers Miniature Models. Arnold and H. Lipson devised a simple box of paper strips that could be organized for lining up and summing the necessary values in a Fourier syntheses. Arnold was involved in the solution and interpretation of many key early structures, including the alums, copper sulphate and glucose. Arnold decided to make models of stainless steel rods and perspex balls that have invaded most of the known world. An excited poultry researcher once gave Arnold a sample of eggshells that he claimed consisted of aragonite rather than calcite. X-ray powder diffraction soon showed that they were pure calcite, like all eggs. Arnold pointed out that hens usually understand these matters better than scientists do! On a famous occasion one Christmas, he asked to see the manager of a Princess Street shop in Edinburgh to point out that decorating the windows with four and eight-pointed snowflakes was a disservice to the truth! The manager was not impressed, but there may be some meaning in the fact that while the shop has long disappeared, Arnold flourisheth yet- Happy Birthday Arnold, and many more!

R.O. Gould, BCA Newsletter