Richard L. Hall Papers

Born on June 14, 1923 in Roseland, Nebraska, Richard L. Hall was an American flavor chemist who worked at McCormick & Company. Hall became interested in pursuing a career in chemistry from an early age. After graduating from high school at age fifteen, Hall received a scholarship to attend Harvard University.

After graduating from Harvard in 1943 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Hall enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces. Shortly after being discharged in 1945, Hall returned to Harvard where he received his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in organic chemistry in 1948 and 1951 respectively.

Hall began work as a research chemist for McCormick & Company starting in 1950. He went on to receive the appointment of Research Director, before being subsequently promoted as Director of Research and Development in 1957. Hall then served as Vice President of Research and Development from 1968 to 1975 and was a member of the firm’s Corporate Board of Directors until his retirement in 1988. While working at McCormick & Company, Hall developed synthetic spices used in the prevention of possible shortages and collaborated with several domestic and international flavor industry groups.

Hall also worked closely with the Food and Extract Manufacturer’s Association (FEMA) in the development of the “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) program, which established the status of flavor ingredients described in the 1958 Food Additives Amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Related to his work with the FEMA GRAS program, Hall additionally helped establish public policies regarding food additives with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Hall was a prolific writer, editor and publisher about toxicology, flavors, and sensory perception. He also served as president of the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) and the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). Hall was the recipient of several awards, including the 25th Anniversary Medal of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Richard L. Hall passed away on August 15, 2019.

Sources

Richard L. Hall Papers, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.