Notre Dame of Maryland University Dr. J.J. Griffin Chemistry Club records

The Dr. J.J. Griffin Chemistry Club was founded in 1944 by students of the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. Named for Dr. J.J. Griffin, S.J., the founder of Notre Dame's Chemistry Department, the club's constitution states "The purpose of this organization is to give its members a greater appreciation and understanding of the nature and significance of Chemistry."

The club had a somewhat dual identity in the early 1950s when it became a chapter of the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society. This chapter status is first mentioned in the student newspaper Columns on May 16, 1951. From there on the club is sometimes mentioned in the newspaper by its original name, sometimes as just the “Chemistry Club,” and sometimes as the Student Affiliates of the ACS. The last mention of either the club or the chapter in Columns (at least through May 1967) is on December 13, 1963, in an article on senior Joan Stanley, who is said to be a member of “the Chemistry Club and the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society.”

The college catalog last lists the club by its original name in 1951-52. The following catalogs through 1964-65 call the club by its chapter name. After that the catalogs do not list the names of clubs. The current Notre Dame website (accessed August 19, 2019) does not list a chemistry club in its roster of clubs and organizations.