Joseph McLain

Joseph McLain was born in Weirton, West Virginia on July 11, 1916, the son of Howard and Elizabeth McLain.[2][3] He spent his childhood in Baltimore, Maryland.[4] Like his older brother, McLain was educated at Washington College.[5] While in college, McLain was a member of Theta Chi, president of the class of 1937, and played basketball, football, lacrosse, and track.[6][1] He did his doctoral work at Johns Hopkins University in chemistry. During World War II, McLain paused his education to serve as a major in the US Army Chemical Corps doing research on smoke screens and pyrotechnics.[5][7]

Joseph McLain received his doctorate in 1946 and joined the faculty of Washington College the same year. While he was a professor, McLain was a partner in the Kent Manufacturing Company, which made fireworks, until there was an explosion at the plant in 1954.[7] During the explosion, McLain rescued two women from the plant.[5] After the disaster, McLain and his partners dissolved the company and McLain and worked on safety standards for fireworks with fellow Washington College alumnus and professor John Conkling.[7][8] The pair wrote recommendations for the safe storage for fireworks that became part of the first US standards.[8] In addition to his pyrotechnic research, McLain was active in environmental work, serving as a trustee of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and sitting on Maryland Water Pollution Control Commission.[1] In 1973, McLain became the president of Washington College.[4] He is the only alumnus of the school to ever serve as president.[9][10] McLain took a leave of absence from the college in 1981 and died in Baltimore at Johns Hopkins Hospital the same year.[1][5]

Joseph McLain was married to Margret Anne Hollingsworth McLain.[5]

• McLain, Joseph Howard (1980). Pyrotechnics: From the Viewpoint of Solid State Chemistry. Philadelphia: Franklin Institute Press. ISBN 9780891680321.