Background
Basolo, Fred was born on February 11, 1920 in Coello, Illinois, United States. Son of John and Catherine (Marino) Basolo.
Basolo, Fred was born on February 11, 1920 in Coello, Illinois, United States. Son of John and Catherine (Marino) Basolo.
Bachelor of Engineering, Southern Illinois University, 1940. Doctor of Science (honorary), Southern Illinois University, 1984. Master of Science, University Illinois, 1942.
Doctor of Philosophy in Inorganic Chemistry, University Illinois, 1943. Doctor of Laws (honorary), University Turin, 1988. Laurea Honoris Causa (honorary), University Palermo, Italy, 1997.
Basolo spent his professional career at Northwestern University. He was a prolific contributor to the fields of coordination chemistry, organometallic, and bioinorganic chemistry, publishing over 400 papers. This work, which integrated concepts from ligand field theory and physical organic chemistry, signaled a shift from a highly descriptive nature of coordination chemistry to a more quantitative science.
Giovanni Basolo and Catherina Morena Basolo immigrated from the Piedmont area of Italy to Illinois.
They had three children there. The youngest was Alfredo Basolo (he began calling himself "Fred" when he entered elementary school). in 1940.
He transferred to University of Illinois for graduate school, receiving his M.Ch in 1942 and his Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry in 1943. He spent the remaining World World War II years performing vital research at Rohm & Haas.
In Fall 1946 he accepted a position as Instructor of Chemistry at Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois.
He tutored a first-year chemistry student, Mary Nutely that year. The Basolo family spent 1954-1955 in Europe thanks to a Guggenheim Grant. Basolo advanced steadily through the academic ranks at NU: Instructor (1946-1950).
Assistant Professor (1950-1955).
Associated Professor (1955-1958). Professor (1958-1979). Distinguished Professor (1980-1990).
He chaired the Chemistry Department from 1969 to 1972.
She succumbed to her injuries on 5 February 1997. He had several surgeries to repair his back, but lost the use of his legs.
Foreign the last ten years of his life he used a motorized wheelchair for mobility. He died at the Midwest Palliative and Hospice Care Center in Skokie, Illinois of congestive heart failure.
Fellow: American Association for the Advancement of Science (chairman chemistry section 1979), National Academy of Sciences, American Academy Arts and Sciences. Member: American Institute Chemists, National Academy Lincei (Italy), Italian Chemical Society (honorary), Royal Society Chemistry (Joseph Chatt medal 1996), American Chemical Society (associate editor journal 1961-1964, chairman division inorganic chemistry 1970, president 1983, board directors 1982-1984, award for research in inorganic chemistry 1964, Northeast regional award 1971, Distinguished Service award in inorganic chemistry 1975, award in chemical education 1992, Chemical Pioneer award 1992, Gold medal 1993, Josiah Willard Gibbs medal 1996, Priestly Medal 2001), Sigma Xi (Monie A. Ferst medal 1992), Kappa Delta Phi, Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Chi Sigma, Phi Lambda Upsilon, Phi Lambda Theta (honorary).
Married Mary P. Nutley, June 14, 1947. Children: Mary Catherine, Freddie, Margaret-Ann, Elizabeth Rose.