Larry French
Professor of Chemistry

Larry French has learned several important lessons since arriving at St. Lawrence in 1986. “A love of chemistry is necessary but not sufficient to be a good teacher,” he notes. “You have to enjoy the students as much as the science.”

French’s pioneering research in natural products isolation and medicinal chemistry has gained renown. He is particularly proud of a recent presentation on the isolation, purification and structure determination of a novel pacifigorgiane sesquiterpene, a compound found in the roots of a Central American plant that plays a significant role in native medicine. “It was quite a puzzle to fit all the data to a unique structural solution, which turned out to be one that had never before been seen,” he says.

French has chaired the chemistry department for six and a half years. He received a B.S in chemistry from the University of Maine at Orono and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Princeton University.

French draws inspiration from his wife, Patty, and their three children, Erik, Colin and Kelly. As for his spare time, he says, “I spend way too much money on classical music and audio equipment.” He adds, “I enjoy building wooden ship models; works in progress include the U.S. Brig Niagara and James Cook’s Endeavor”. He is also a founding member of a new Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Canton.