The September 2025 issue of C&EN included an article entitled '8 chemists with disabilities who left their mark on history.' which included Henry Gilman. I met Dr. Gilman when I visited Iowa State University in March of 1976 during my process of choosing a graduate school. Though Dr. Gilman was no longer taking graduate students; I was scheduled to meet with him. I expected him to be an advocate for their graduate program which turned out to be incorrect. If anything, he was an advocate for chemistry as a whole. In our discussion we got to know each other. He wanted to know who I was, both as a student of chemistry and as a person.
I choose Iowa State University for my graduate work. I spoke with Dr. Gilman many times during my graduate program, sometimes when we met in a hallway, other times more formally when we frequently discussed serious chemistry. Henry Gilman was certainly a groundbreaking chemist but I him found him to be a kind, generous, and personable man. He and his wife even sent a card to me and my wife after the birth of our daughter.
Henry Gilman left an indelible mark on chemistry, despite going almost totally blind in midcareer, but the Henry Gilman I knew was also a valued friend.
Roland P. Stout, 1981 Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry
Professor of Chemistry, retired
University of North Carolina Pembroke