The department of chemistry is one of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s jewels, and so it was fitting Friday that the new chemistry building on campus was dedicated in honor of the man who did so much to build the department Irving Shain.
Shain, who led the department in the late ’60s and then went on to become chancellor of the UW’s Madison campus from 1977 to 1986, was feted Friday not only by Gov. Jim Doyle, naming the shiny new tower at the corner of Johnson and Charter streets for him, but by a scholarly chemistry faculty symposium and a School of Music concert that thanked him for his support throughout his years on campus.