Armstrong – Table of Contents

Alliance Chamber of Commerce, invited Armstrong to attend the next Annual Banquet in
1955; however, since Armstrong could not attend, Mr. Morgan sent Armstrong
newspapers clippings of the event instead (6). Dr. Armstrong thanked Mr. Morgan for the
clippings. Morgan also happened to be Professor of Chemistry at Mount Union College.
Armstrong, however, did manage to get to Alliance in June 1955 to attend the 50th
Anniversary Reunion of the Alliance High Class of 1905. Fortunately, 13 of the 35 class
members were able to attend (8). Armstrong had for many years maintained affectionate
ties with both “town and gown” of Alliance. Going back to previous years, in July 1930
Dr. G. F. Lamb of the Geology Department of Mount Union College wrote Armstrong
thanking him for the thoughtful letter that Armstrong wrote when Lamb retired (9). In
February 1930, Dr. W. H. Mc Master, President of Mount Union College wrote
Armstrong with well wishes for recovery from psittacosis. The letter also contained
chatty anecdotes about mutual local acquaintances (10).
Armstrong still remained in the public eye, and other organizations still sought
associations with him for his professional services. On May 31, 1955 the NIH Record
featured him in an article entitled “Portrait of an NIH Scientist” (11) that summarized his
background, career and accomplishments since joining the Public Health Service in 1916.
Around the same time, the NIH Biomedicine Research Facility offered him a position to
work with the group at Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland. Armstrong wrote to Brigadier
General L. D. Worsham (14) on May 6, 1955, thanking him for the offer to work with the
Frederick group. However, he declined the offer on grounds that he was still working at
NIH, did not have the requisite skills to be effective with the Fort Detrick organization,
and that it would be a personal hardship for him to move his family to Frederick. In early