Donor Spotlight: Interdisciplinary Love Story Creates a Lasting Legacy

At first glance, a scientist who considered himself a “lone wolf” and a designer credited with making some of the most creative costumes the university has ever seen may not have much in common.

But former Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry professor George D. Blyholder and former Department of Theatre designer Betty Blyholder were a perfect match almost from the moment they first met more than 60 years ago.

Together, the pair raised three children and their legacy includes three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and counting.

Their legacy also includes bettering the lives of hundreds of University of Arkansas students during their time in the classroom, which they now continue to do through endowments that support students studying in the fields each Blyholder loved best.

Betty created the George D. Blyholder Endowed Award in Physical Chemistry in 2015 to honor George after he passed in 2013. The fund can support both undergraduate and graduate physical chemistry students, and so far has mostly been used for summer research support.

In addition to creating George’s endowed scholarship, Betty also created the Betty Blyholder Endowed Award in the Department of Theatre, to support students studying all aspects of technical theatre, including stagecraft, costume design and more.

“We loved our time at the university, and knowing what a difference George made in the lives of his students means so much,” Betty said, adding that three of the collaborators George worked with have gone on to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. “It’s wonderful to know he’s still helping students and colleagues succeed.”

George grew up in Kansas City, Kan., and Chicago, Ill. He received a B.A. from Valparaiso University, a B.S. from Purdue University in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Utah. While at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, he studied under the direction of Henry Eyring – a major contributor to modern kinetics.

It was also in Utah that George met and married Betty, and after graduation, the pair moved and he completed post-doctoral work at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn., and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.

The pair moved again, this time to Fayetteville, in 1959, when George took a position as a professor of chemistry at the University of Arkansas. He taught and did research at the university for 37 years until his retirement in 1996, publishing over 100 articles in noted scientific journals.

His research was in the broad area of catalysis, but his focus was on the interaction of CO on surfaces. He was a major contributor to this field and was internationally recognized for some of the models he developed which still hold today, said Wesley Stites, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

“He was internationally known in surface science for having described a mechanism of action for the reaction between carbon monoxide and metal atoms on a metal surface,” Stites said. “This method has often been cited in surface chemistry literature and is the currently accepted model to explain these reactions. George’s contributions most definitely live on.”

Stites said that each year, students benefit from the Blyholders’ generosity, “Gifts such as these make it possible for us to accomplish the university’s three-fold mission of teaching, research and public service. We are very grateful to Betty, George and all of our donors who are helping us remain a nationally competitive, student-centered research university serving Arkansas and the world.”

Additionally, Stites said that several of George’s former graduate students have made contributions to the fund in his name, “another sign that George has had a tremendous impact on his students.”

For Betty, who was used to working behind the scenes for so many years, spotlighting George and helping more students succeed are the true reward, “we always wanted to pay it forward, and doing it this way has been a wonderful way to remember and honor him.”

For more information about giving to or creating a scholarship fund, please contact Blake Rickman at brickman@uark.edu.