Percy Julian: Forgotten Genius

Originally broadcast on the PBS-aired NOVA series, Llewellyn M. Smith's biographical documentary Percy Julian: Forgotten Genius offers a long-overdue tribute to one of the most important chemists of the 20th century. The grandson of Alabama slaves, Dr. Percy Lavon Julian (1899-1975) overcame extraordinary barriers to achieve leadership positions within both academic chemistry and industrial pharmaceutical research. Julian graduated as class valedictorian from DePauw University in 1920, and his 1935 work in creating synthesized physostigmine (used in the treatment of glaucoma) from the calabar bean made him a superstar in the chemistry world. After encountering some reluctance from academic institutions due to his race, Julian took a barrier-breaking position as director of research at the Glidden company, where his experiments with soybean oil resulted in more than 100 chemical patents, including the synthesis of cortisone. Narrated by Courtney B. Vance, the film combines archival footage, dramatic recreations (with Ruben Santiago-Hudson playing Dr. Julian), and interviews, as it chronicles the man's tumultuous life (he stood firm after his home in the white Chicago suburb of Oak Park was firebombed), highlighting not only his career achievements but also periods of self-destructive behavior (including the publication of tactless private correspondence that resulted in his being removed from the staff of Howard University in the early 1930s). An inspiring celebration of an American hero, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)