C.W. Hall

History

In the 1980s, it became evident that biomaterial publications were broadly distributed throughout medical, engineering, biological, and material science journals. Consequently, researchers could not quickly identify the critical historical literature. Dr. C. William Hall, founder of the Society for Biomaterials, dreamed of a documentation center that would gather the information, artifacts and documents that define the interdisciplinary field of biomaterials and make them available, worldwide, through electronic dissemination.

Upon Dr. Hall's death in 1992, an endowment fund was established with memorial gifts from colleagues, family and friends. Two major gifts form the nucleus of the Center's holdings. Mrs. Sheila Hall, Dr.Hall's widow, donated Dr.Hall's professional library, memorabilia, and awards.

Additionally, Dr. Jonathan Black, a past president of the Society for Biomaterials, has donated his professional library, a portion of which has already been transfered to the Center. A drive is currently underway to obtain additional materials from senior individuals within the field.

The Center was formally established in 1998,with headquarters in Clemson, SC, and has its own Board of Directors. Several projects are underway, with advice from staff of the Cooper Library system at Clemson University.