The history and development of Southern Illinois University's chemistry department is recorded by a 40-year professor in the department. The study spans the period from 1927 when the university was a normal school with 1,200 students and a faculty of 45, to 1967 when the enrollment was 19,260 students, 1,994 of them in chemistry. Always a major asset to the university, the chemistry department grew into a prestigious one in a regional university during the 1927-1967 period. Drawing upon a personal diary maintained by his wife, the author recalls the personalities as well as the events of the department and school. The book's chapters are divided by decade, covering events from the early years in the thirties, through the war and post-World War II years, to the author's retirement. Examined are the changes and challenges of curriculum development, graduate studies, research, and the problems and decisions made by the administration. (LC)