He was named a full professor in 1963 and served as the chairman of the Chemistry Department at Brown from 1964 to 1972. In 1967 he won the High Polymer Prize of the American Physical Society. He succeeded John William Ward in 1979 as President of Amherst College and served as president for five years until his death in 1983 due to a heart attack.
A distinguished academic, he was promoted to full professor in 1963 and headed the Chemistry Department at Brown from 1964 to 1972. He won the High Polymer Prize from the American Physical Society in 1967. He succeeded John William Ward as President of Amherst College in 1979 and led the institution for five years before his passing in 1983 due to a heart attack.