Listed among Assistant Professor of Chemistry James Adrian's areas of expertise are organic chemistry, protein-dna interactions, and military costume and metallurgy in the Middle Ages. Military costume? We
decided to ask Adrian if this might be a misprint, and he
said that it wasn't.
On top of a file cabinet in a corner of
Jim Adrian's office sits a reproduction of a
medieval great helmet. A neat card stands beside it with
a written documentation of the helmet and a copy of a
miniature from a twelveth-century Psalter showing this
kind of helmet in use by Sir Geoffery Luttrell.
“It's a great icebreaker with
students,” Adrian says, explaining that they will
see the helmet and ask questions, curious about its
presence in an organic chemist's office. “I
bring in the helmets to remind students that you
don't have to be completely one-dimensional, that
it's valuable to know something about your history
and the humanities.”
And Adrian is certainly not
one-dimensional. In fact, on the weekends, he sometimes
has a second identity-as Sir Horthgar Farley.
Sir Horthgar Farley is a knight-a
skilled fighter considered to be a model of prowess,
chivalry, and honor.
Adrian assumes this identity when he
joins other members of the Society for Creative
Anachronism, an international group devoted to the study
and recreation of the Middle Ages. Adrian has always
loved medieval history, he says, perhaps since he spent
seven years growing up in Germany, surrounded by castles
and evidence of the Middle Ages.
While pursuing his bachelor's
degree in psychology, Adrian joined his first medieval
recreation group. Later, while he was stationed in Texas
with the military, he joined the Society for Creative
Anachronism (he has his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from
the University of Pittsburgh).
In more than fifteen years as a member
of the Society, Adrian has flourished as a fighter and an
artisan.
As a knight, Adrian actually does
“fight” his friends, arrayed in one of his
several full armors, much of which he has crafted himself
(the suits, by the way, can weigh as much as ninety-five
pounds). “We use wood and rattan weapons, similar to
medieval 'rebated weapons' commonly used in
tournaments,” he says. The blows are real, but
strictly-enforced safety and equipment requirements
minimize the danger and make the blows similar to those
sustained in ice hockey or lacrosse. Aside from a few
bruises, the worst injury Adrian has suffered in almost
twenty years is a dislocated pinkie finger.
Assuming the role of medieval artisan,
Adrian crafts many of the pieces of armor himself, using
patterns based on a study of medieval counterparts. He
cuts and shapes the metal to conform to the contours of
his body and knits his own mail from screen door springs,
cutting them in rings and “knitting” them
together with pliers. Although he has not created all of
his seven helmets, he has added their brass detail-work.
He learned to sew many years ago and
now makes his own elegant costumes for the court scenes,
often crafting his own buttons and accessories.
Clearly, Adrian enjoys the adventure of
his battles of the warriors, but he is also fascinated by
the history behind each piece of armor or medieval wear
that he makes. “There is an educational
aspect,” he says. “You have to study the
artwork of the time. The point is to learn by doing. For
example, by just wearing the armor for a day of combat
you learn very quickly that the myth that the armored
knight, once knocked down, is stuck on his (or her) back
like a turtle is just that-a myth.”
Adrian's fascination with the
medieval era is hard to miss, and his voice fills with
excitement as he recounts battles and urges visitors to
try his favorite helmet. But his devotion to his work at
Union has limited the time that he spends on his hobby.
“It's more a matter of one passion being
supplanted by another for organic chemistry,” he
says.
One of three organic chemists in the
Chemistry Department, Adrian tries to split his time
evenly between his teaching duties and his research in
organic chemistry, which is directed toward problems in
molecular recognition. Adrian uses synthetic organic
receptor systems or host molecules, designed and
synthesized by students in his laboratory (nicknamed
“The Salt Mine”) to model biological systems.
“One does not readily think of a
small college doing cutting-edge science, but we're
right out there,” he says. “I find it very
stimulating and time consuming, leaving little energy
left over for a time and labor intensive hobby.”
In fact, he has sold all of his
medieval reproduction weapons to other medievalists
rather than have them collect dust in his house or
garage. “I sold the weapons and other things to give
them a life of their own, but I can't part with the
armor,” he says. “Besides, you never know when
it will come in handy for Halloween.”
Adrian's unique hobby and his
career do sometimes mingle, though. He would love to
teach medieval metallurgy-the composition of
medieval metals-while leading a term abroad.
“Our metals are excellent in comparison to
theirs,” he explains. “Medieval workmanship was
always first-rate, but the materials were not.”
Perhaps one day Adrian will be able to
combine his love of chemistry with his passion for the
Middle Ages. For now, chemistry remains the centerpiece
as his medieval helmet sits quietly in the corner of his
busy office.