Alan Cowley
A brilliant chemist who tamed wildly reactive molecules, creating new tools that transformed how we build complex compounds.
1934–2020 (age 86)·British chemist·Birthday: January 29·The Silent Generation
Biography
Alan Cowley's chemistry was about control in the chaotic. He dedicated his career to the study of compounds most chemists avoided: those with highly reactive, unstable bonds, particularly involving elements like silicon, phosphorus, and boron. In his labs at the University of Texas at Austin, where he held the prestigious Welch Chair, Cowley and his team designed clever molecular 'scaffolds' to stabilize these unruly substances. This wasn't just academic curiosity; by creating these new, manipulable building blocks, he provided synthetic chemists with powerful, unprecedented tools. His work on low-coordinate main group elements opened doors to novel catalysts and materials with unique electronic properties. A revered mentor and collaborator, Cowley's insights fundamentally expanded the periodic table's utility, proving that the most interesting chemistry often happens at the edges of stability.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Alan was born in 1934, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1934
#1 Movie
It Happened One Night
Best Picture
It Happened One Night
Alan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1934Born
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1939Started school
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1947Became a teenager
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1950Could drive
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1952Could vote
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1955Turned 21
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1964Turned 30
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1974Turned 40
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1984Turned 50
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 60
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 70
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 80
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2020Died at 86
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- Pioneered the synthesis and application of stable compounds featuring low-coordinate main group elements.
- Made seminal contributions to the chemistry of silicon-silicon double bonds (disilenes).
- Served as the Robert A. Welch Chair in Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin for decades.
- Was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in recognition of his contributions to inorganic chemistry.
Did You Know?
He was a 1976 Guggenheim Fellow, which supported his research endeavors.
He authored or co-authored over 600 scholarly publications during his career.
He supervised the research of numerous PhD students and postdoctoral fellows who became leaders in chemistry.
He received the American Chemical Society's Award in Organometallic Chemistry in 2005.
“I make molecules that other chemists say shouldn't exist.”
